Second Chance
by M Knightium
Summary: An alien creature, originally meant to guard and protect his own galaxy alongside his kind, was cast out for being different, for being not like the others. When they sent him off in a shuttle he crash landed on Earth, and just happened to run into its defender and hero, Ben Tennyson. And the young teen had an idea for the creature; why not let him be a Plumber?
1. The Visitor

Aliens always had a knack for attacking places they had no business going.

From the alien warlord Vilgax assaulting Earth in search of the Omnitrix, to the series of conflicts across the galaxy; things would never completely be safe for the galaxy and perhaps even the universe.

But to combat these threats, the Plumbers remain, ready to take the fight to any alien menace, no matter the cost; with their hero Ben Tennyson and many more, nothing could ever triumph over the heroic forces defending the galaxy, and they would continue to defend things for as long as needed.

But sometimes, the Plumbers needed new recruits to assist in their peacekeeping…some from…stranger sources…

"So…why'd ya call me here for again Grandpa?" Their combined footfalls were the only noise throughout the green and white halls of the Plumber HQ, considering it was early in the morning at around 5 or 6 AM. Ben Tennyson, Earth's hero, looked as he always did, shaking himself awake as he ruffled out his green and black tee, his brown jeans wrinkled as well, along with his sneakers, the iconic Omnitrix resting on his arm still, pristine as always. His grandfather, still known as one of the greatest Plumbers hailing from the Milky Way Galaxy, was dressed in his own iconic getup; a Hawaiian shirt with white pants and brown shoes, walked along with Ben, but despite his casual outfit he wore a stern expression none the less. "Did the world need savin' again? Another bad guy needs a smack down? Smoothie run?"

"No Ben, something else." The sixteen-year-old noticed now they were in the Detention Center, where the Plumbers kept their prisoners, going past some of those he had fought once or twice in the past and, obviously, ignoring their threats. They came to a stop outside a darkened cell, and Ben's grin began to fall slightly…whatever was in there, it gave him chills…a weird feeling.

"You can come out now, no sense in hiding." Max spoke, and Ben saw just what was in there, some sort of…bug like monster approaching the force field, staring at them with an eyeless gaze.

It was something straight out of a sci-fi horror movie, its skin a strange reddish black chitin, as it looked roughly humanoid but with acute differences; having a head positioned on a long neck, digitigrade legs, and a long tail that seemed prehensile, flicking in the air and showing it had serrated spikes along it. It had broadened shoulders and long arms, indicating it was able to run on both two and four legs, as a strange…fin like protrusion was present on its upper back, like something a shark of some sort would have. Its hands had only four fingers, counting a thumb, and its toes had three instead, but with a thumb as well, as its head was the…by far the scariest thing, looking like a lizard or a snake's but with many differences. Its head had a maw full of sharp teeth, its upper jaws being normal whereas its lower jaws were two mandibles covered in teeth, the one at the end of each mandible being longer and serrated as well. It had no eyes on its head, yet somehow Ben could still feel like it was…staring at him, somehow.

"…Grandpa…what…is this thing?" Max watched the creature step back in the cell, retreating into the darkness it had been immersed in long before their arrival, tone still concerned despite them clearly being in no danger.

"This thing is what I wanted to show you Ben; around 12 AM an unidentified ship was spotted in Earth's atmosphere, seemingly out of control when it crashed in South America. Plumbers were the first to investigate and we found a badly damaged ship and this creature…we have to contain him in case he lashes out at someone."

"Looks like those weird monsters from the horror movies I saw as a kid…do we know what…it is? And why is it in that cell?"

"So far we've gotten some information on it via some scans conducted, and we concluded it's a creature from a further away galaxy, one the Plumbers hadn't ever trekked into; something called an Aluneca."

"That's great and all but…still…why the cell?" Ben got his answer when he saw the Aluneca prowl around the cell, showing on each limb it had claws, extremely sharp claws.

" _That's_ why Ben; it attacked two Plumbers and tried to eat them. At first we thought it was just an invader but as things went on we learned it was like a cornered animal; scared and confused."

"Must be a bad feeling…still…what information do we have on Alunecas?"

"So far they're a parasitic lifeform who, upon hatching from eggs, latch onto a lifeform and implant an embryo inside that gestates and then erupts from them days later, killing the host in the process."

"…yeah so exactly like those monsters from the movies; and his kind aren't dangerous to the universe?" Max stepped over to a console against the wall, and his next response was…unexpected.

"No, he's not."

"Really?! But…how? You just said its kind act like parasites to other races- "

"But this one seems to have no real big problems; just doesn't know where it is." The Aluneca stared from beyond the shield with that glare…that eyeless glare. "A lost traveler, in other words. It attacked out of self-defense…the two Plumbers who investigated made a pretty rookie move when they saw it."

"And what'd that be? Shoot at 'em?" Max's stern look told him the answer, Ben's smirk fading for a second.

"…who does that? No wonder they got hurt." The creature was silent now, save for a steady trilling noise, one Max took notice too.

"Seems it's calmed down now, not as…frantic as before."

"Yeah, but we can't keep calling it well… _it_ ; does the Aluneca have a name?"

"Somewhat, the Plumbers are going by the only word it spoke in a recognizable language, Menct. No idea but we're estimating it's a shortened version of a name."

"Alright then…Menct, can you understand me?" Ben knew it was a long shot, more or less something he probably didn't think possible, but surprisingly the creature's head nodded slightly; it knew English!

"Finally! We're getting somewhere, Grandpa do you have any questions for him now since that's usually your thing with aliens." He nodded, and cleared his throat, focusing his attention on the Aluneca and speaking in a calm, confident tone, to ensure he didn't startle the thing.

"Where did you come from?" Those mandibles moved in a chittering pattern, no words remotely understandable. "Hmm…maybe it can only speak a few words in English."

"Probably, lemme try; are you a boy, or girl?" The claws trailed along the field, something being…traced out; Max being the one to get the symbol traced out.

The gender symbol for males.

"It's a He, so he's intelligent as well, but we still can't really understand him…hmm…I have an idea." A call was put in and one of the rookies showed up later, bearing something Ben hadn't seen for a long time.

A Universal Translator.

"Oh sweet, forgot we had these." Max accepted the small device and turned to the force field, seeing the Aluneca back up a tad, either out of fear or respect, it was hard to really tell.

"Now if I lower this shield…no one gets hurt right?" No response, aside from a series of chittering noises. As a precaution, Ben powered the Omnitrix up and very slowly changed it to Swampfire…just in case there had to be a fight. The green shield lowered, and Max took a step forward, pressing the Translator to Menct's arm, and waited to see if what he spoke would come out as English.

Neither of them expected an ear-piercing noise to erupt from the device, making Ben keel over and clutch his ears, Max doing the same while Menct slashed the device off, letting it clutter to the ground and break into pieces.

"Ghh…that didn't feel good," Max rose back up and took a step back, Menct remaining still save for now being on all fours, watching them still. "So he's like the Vulpimancers and whatever language he speaks can't be translated whatsoever."

"Yep…do you think I could…try to use the Omnitrix to turn into what he is? Or at the very least try something to understand him?"

"It's a long shot but I think it'd work, just be careful." Ben's hand reached out slowly…and when it made contact with Menct's head he didn't turn into…his kind, but he heard voices in his head, savage words and roars inside his mind; rending and raking it. His hand shot away after what felt like ages, and yet it was only really just a few seconds.

"Ben, you okay?" He panted and calmed down, and shook himself off, looking to Menct and seeing him further into the cell, backed away more.

"I-I'm fine…but I did get some information on our friend here. You were right about him being lost; an Incursean scout party attacked his ship when he was nearing our system, trying to pass right by and he had to crash here or risk crashing somewhere…less safe."

"Figured they'd be a cause of this; anything else?"

"Yeah, he's a peacekeeper of sorts. In his galaxy his kind wear some sort of high tech armor to…police their galaxy. It actually sounds pretty awesome, though I got a glimpse of it only."

"I thought the word Aluneca sounded familiar, especially from the slim records we have; the Alunecan Guardians, they must've never made direct contact with the Plumbers due to how…they work."

"And how is that?"

"The Alunecan Guardians have a habit of tearing apart and destroying whatever threatens their systems…and then eat them. They never take prisoners and even when they do it's for a very short time. None the less, we should try to establish communications with another Alunecan Guardian…see if they can get him back to his system." While the option to keep Menct in the cell as a precaution came up, it seemed wiser to bring him with then, though the entire walk Ben was cautious to…not startle the creature, as they reached the COMs deck.

The room was still empty as before, thus it was a simple fix for Max to head to one of the many terminals and key in a code, trying to intercept the frequencies of an Alunecan Guardian vessel. After a brief delay the screen flickered to show another one of those creatures, but Ben immediately took notice to something that the other one lacked.

This one had eyes, for one thing.

More differences were present, as this Aluneca's chitin was a brighter, yellow and black hue, as it was coated from head to toe in segmented gold and brown armor, leaving all but the head exposed. Its eyes were numbering to be six, all of them black. Even its head was different, more bug like and its mandibles being that of a grasshopper's. Something also noticed was a Universal Translator was present on its chest, no doubt the reason it spoke...but then why didn't it work for Menct?

"This is a secure network," Its voice was insectoid; Ben able to hear a strange clicking sound with each word it spoke. "Identify yourself."

"This is Magister Maxwell Tennyson of Earth of the Milky Way Plumbers, we have one of your kind here and he needs Evac. Is it possible to send a ship or do you need us to bring him to a meeting point" The other Aluneca glanced to Menct, and seemed to…show disgust, mandibles flared and head shaking.

"We're not coming after a Sharken breed; he was sent there for a reason."

"Wait, _sent_?" Ben piped in, the Aluneca on the screen turning to look in his direction, nodding slightly.

"Yes, sent; Sharken Aluneca, born from the land sharks of Tremos IV in the Spheros System, are not true Aluneca, just mindless half breeds incapable of anything worth-while. We sent him away for a good reason you should know."

"That may be, but why to our galaxy? Why here?"

"He was to be sent to one of furthest galaxies away; I apologize sincerely that the Shuttle he was in crashed there…not even I anticipated the Incurseans would assault it."

"They tend to fire at anything in their airspace, regardless, what do you mean you're not coming after him?" Max crossed his arms and glared at the Aluneca on the screen, the creature's arms folding in return as it exhaled.

"A Sharken Breed isn't fit to be a Guardian, nor anything important. His fate is in your hands, be it death or something else, so long as we never must deal with him again." Menct let out a sharp snarl at the screen, tail slashing the ground as his claws dug into the ground, showing heavy anger towards the other Aluneca. The line cut afterwards, and despite Max's best efforts they couldn't get another signal, Ben turning to see Menct lower his head and utter a lower series of noises.

They were obviously voicing severe depression; being rejected by his own kind for being different…something like that was still a horrid thought. When he had peered into his head earlier, despite the rampant thoughts, Ben could still see that this creature had wanted to be a Guardian like the others...to fit in essentially, and that chance had been declined for him.

"Well, there's no way we can get another signal; what do we do now Ben? Any bright ideas?"

"I have one, yeah." He rubbed his chin, the dark tension slowly lifting as a smile formed on the hero's face. "It's a long shot but you say the Aluneca are supposed to be protectors right, Guardians close to the Plumbers?"

"Yes, are you suggesting that…"

"Menct become a Plumber instead of one of those dumb Guardians, yeah! I mean with some training and some crash courses he could do good; maybe even be as good as you!" He could see it worked to win his grandfather over, as the aged man chuckled and shook his head, turning to the Aluneca with a shrug.

"It's up to you Menct, we know you can understand us so do you want a chance at being a Plumber? To defend this galaxy and many others with the best of the best?" The creature rose from all fours and stood upright, head nodding after a brief delay.

It'd be a crazy road, but Ben had a feeling he just enlisted a recruit unlike any other for the Plumbers.

To Be Continued

(The reason behind this story, I started watching Omniverse again, or really some episodes I found on Youtube, and my brain started working again. So of course after a long enough time my mind began to ponder the subject of creating an extraterrestrial OC to put as a Plumber and have him go through a few key points in the Omniverse Timeline. So bear in mind, this can be…considered an AU, as the character, Menct, will be present during some things and events that happened through the series, even the Frogs of War episode and some of the wide scale fights. There will also be chapters with Menct on his own; think of this like Halo 3: ODST, viewing how an ordinary Plumber kicks it. So enjoy, I'll see how long I keep inspired for this project, hopefully long enough to see it through to the end.

-MKnightium)


	2. See what you're made of

(MKnightium Here,

I forgot to mention, this story chronologically takes place around Season 1 of the story, since it offers more slowed down things yet at the same time able to have Menct show up during some things.

His look is also based off Rek'Sai from League of legends, as he lacks visible eyes and has a huge shark fin and large arms. The whole fiasco between races is normal Aluneca look down on Aluneca born from an insentient creature as it makes them typically unable to speak correctly and generally stranger; they're essentially the 'Special Ed' of their species though I do not condone the mistreatment of anyone different in that sense.

Anyhow, enjoy the read, and don't forget to leave a Review, they help me improve this story for you all to enjoy better reading.)

"So we need to get him examined?" Ben asked his grandfather, the two of them standing outside the Med Bay, where a Piscciss Volann, or one of Ripjaws' ilk, was examining Menct. Even now they could see the Aluneca was on one of the many operating tables, remaining actually quite calm despite the machines scanning him and the aquatic being asking the Aluneca questions to no avail. After an hour or so the medic stepped out, leaving Menct inside as he cleared his throat, bubbles welling up in his Plumber Armor's helmet.

"So far the extraterrestrial inside of there is quite…unique, to say the least."

"Define unique." Max inquired, as Ben leaned back to rest against one of the walls. The fish being went on, checking a clipboard and reading over the notes scribbled down.

"For starters I cross references all our medical and scientific knowledge on 'land sharks' and did find that there is a species of creature from Khoros, which leads me to believe the Aluneca have been places we've been before. Comparing our friend in there and the reptilian fish I can now conclude that this Menct is a mix between a reptile and an insect, while also showing traits of the 'Sand Ripper', such as steel bending mandibles, enhanced speed, and the ability to survive underground for good durations. He also seems to have acute hearing and a keen sense of smell, and can even taste without a tongue, evident when I handed him a treat for not biting my hand off…"

"Fascinating…seems the Aluneca do take qualities of their biological parent in other ways; anything else? What about the…lack of eyes?"

"Oh that? No he does have eyes, or at the very least eye sockets, proven via the X-Rays. I conducted some visual tests and yes he does in fact see, but there's the catch, his vision's _extremely_ limited; I'd say go past ten feet and he can't see you anymore aside from blurs."

"And yet he can still find his way around, does he use a form of Tremor Sense like the Sand Rippers?"

"As far as I know Magister Tennyson, yes he does, which is why he has a habit of walking on four legs, he relies on his hearing and touch if people go too far from him." Ben was growing interested as well, as he watched Menct look about the room, shaking himself and snapping his maw.

"Regardless Magister Tennyson," Ben paid attention to the conversation once more. "I suppose he's suitable to be outfitted with his own set of armor and taken to see how well he handles a firearm."

"Very well, thank you for the help." The fish creature walked off and when Max stepped in the room Menct's head jerked in his direction, Ben being the only one to actually jump when that happened.

Sensitive hearing…right…

"Menct, it's time you get your own set of armor, so it'd be best if you followed me." The alien obliged, following behind Ben and his grandfather before reaching the Armory, Max motioning to a glowing white platform in the center of the room, the Aluneca stepping onto it and slowly standing upright as metal arms lowered down and revolved around him, scanning him for his size and height.

Ben never noticed until now, but Menct was really tall! He looked to be around seven or so feet in height, tall enough to probably fist fight Vilgax if he really wanted to; a thought that amused Ben.

"Ben, any thoughts?"

"Wha-huh…what?" His grandfather shook his head lightly, nowhere near noticing Menct mimicking his head motions. "I asked should we equip Menct with standard issue Plumber Armor, or some Proto-Armor, like what Rook wears? We need a set of armor that'd ensure he'd have full mobility while at the same time no denying him his Tremor Sensing ability…it might come in handy for him later on."

"Hmm…let's try…both? Give him something cool and unique, it'll probably make him look really awesome." Max, while confused, obliged, tapping a holographic panel on the wall and soon the arms began to work, literally beaming armor onto Menct as his head darted about to follow the path of the arms. They worked faster than anticipated, and soon the armor was done…something neither of them expected.

It was far from traditional, as white armored plating coated his shins, thighs, chest, forearms, the upper half of his tail, shoulders, and head, while leaving his claws uncovered and exposed as well as his fingers. The armor was coated in segments and green lines, as the gauntlets were bulky, and the helmet coated his entire head, the visors being a green X pattern. For added flair, both arms flexed, and from each gauntlet sprung deep green energy blades, Menct letting out an ear splitting roar.

Ben honestly had to wipe a tear away from his eye, sniffling a tad.

"It's amazing…" He spoke, watching Menct step down from the platform and shake himself, head darting about rapidly as a series of sharp clicks were heard each time.

"Grandpa…is…he okay?"

"More than okay; that helmet he's wearing fixed his sight problem; a pair of glasses in other words as well as an advanced Head's Up Display for him when he uses a weapon. He should be able to see like one of us would. Only problem is we still can't craft a translator for him; might have to see if Azmuth can rig something up for him, or if we can find Eunice to translator for him."

"That's great, but…any idea what gun he'd like-WOAH!" Ben ducked down when a yellow blast hit the wall, darting his eyes to see Menct had grabbed what looked like a Proto-Tool off the wall, but it was set to Blaster Mode, as well as lacking the Omnitrix emblem on its side. The Aluneca must've grabbed it and pulled the trigger out of curiosity, no real harmful intent behind the shot.

"Seems he found the Blaster Rifle," Max said, stepping over and motioning for Menct to head to the shooting range. "A gun some Plumbers designed in likeness to your friend Rook's gun; fires about the same too, just is a tad more accurate and…less fatal to get hit by."

"Nice, does it have another function?"

"Just one, which is Bow mode. Also I saw you were wowed with the energy blades; they're meant for deflecting projectiles and not…using them on people. Plumbers don't kill unless there's no other option."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." As they spoke Menct had fired the rifle at a few dummies, nailing them in the chest areas and head. He kept firing at a rapid pace, each shot well timed and precise, showing that he must've trained elsewhere, which was baffling. "Anyways, what now? Menct just…goes into the academy here?"

"More or less, from there it'll be up to him to continue on and get somewhere, he's gotta want it more than anything else." Max was already walking, Ben and Menct following suit. The halls slowly cascaded from the prison-esque green and white halls to the standard blue halls, soon Max and Ben stood at a set of doors, Menct stopping nearby and staring at the door, and then to Max and Ben.

"Once you step through here," Max spoke, a warm smile on his face. "You'll join the ranks of the Plumbers and make something great of yourself. Drill Sargent Rubiac will be waiting for you on the other side…listen to him and train well with your platoon; you're gonna do well Menct." The Aluneca nodded, and stepped forward, the doors opening and the creature stepping inside, the doors closing moments later. Ben turned to look towards his grandfather, a hopeful look on his face.

"He's gonna do good in there, isn't he?"

"I'm sure Ben, he may not be like the rest of his kind, but he has the drive to be something more. Being discriminated against never feels good, but it works as a good drive; to rise above their expectations and prove them wrong. His species already looks down on him, it's about time he makes them look up to him instead."

"Like I do every single day of being me."

They both looked towards the door, and knew they set something in motion that'd change everything for the better.

Menct wasn't expecting all of this, not whatsoever. He stepped past dozens of other beings, other aliens, all armored, and all conversing, training, and all in all improving their skills and training to become the best.

Like he wanted, above everything else as well.

"So, you must be Menct." A gruff voice spoke, the Aluneca turning to look down at the speaker, a Petrosapien currently dressed in the standard Plumber armor, this one's arms being slimmer and with a reddish tint to his emerald form, and one of his eyes absent, with an eyepatch over it to cover it up, clearly indicating he was someone of high commanding authority. At Menct's nod he continued, stepping closer and extending his hand for the creature to shake…though Menct didn't understand the action so he just put his hand down. "Magister Tennyson has assigned you to my platoon, that means I'll be doing everything in my power to make you into a good Plumber, got that?"

All that he understood was a low clicking noise.

"…gonna…call that a yes, anyhow follow me." They started walking towards the Barracks, each one divided into quarters in accordance with each Platoon in there, Menct and, as far as he remembered, Rubiac, as they came to a stop in the common room for his platoon.

"Everyone, gather 'round," He spoke, Menct looking about at those in the room, perplexed by their looks. "This is our newest recruit, recommended and brought to us by Magister Tennyson himself, so make sure to treat him like he was of your own family. I'm gonna go check in with command to see if I can get us the Training Arena for the time, you all get to know one another." And with that, he was gone, leaving Menct to look around at the three others who he'd be spending time with.

One was an Osishan, or a mollusk being, with white and red armor coating him as he stood a head or two shorter than the Aluneca. His eyes were deep cyan hue, and already he had a confident, calm aura about him, one the Aluneca could feel assurance from. He had an aura of command that could make one obey and listen willingly yet also friendliness that made him seem like he'd be anyone's best friend. He showed some differences from normal Osishans too; arms being lankier and his chest being slimmer, and he overall seemed smaller than the normal ones as well.

The second person in the room was a different one, a Loboan actually. The wolf like alien wore his Plumber armor in a close pattern to Menct's own suit, the differences being he lacked gauntlets and wore fingerless gloves. He also was still shorter than the Aluneca by a head at least, though those violet eyes were giving him a deep glare, one he couldn't really shake off. Another difference between this Loboan and the typical ones were he lacked a furry mane, and his hair atop his head was cut into a Mohawk pattern, as well as his tail being bushier and his fur a lighter silver hue. Though he still seemed like someone who could be trouble in the future.

And the last one was different, she was a Kineceleran, with her armor being the same white and black like all Plumbers, but the difference was her helmet curled downwards at the back. Her lips were painted a vibrant violet color, making them stand out more on her body, and for a brief second the Aluneca's eyes were drawn to them, but he had to shake it off. Her sleeves were absent and her suit stopped at her knees, and her eyes were a brilliant orange hue. Her skin was a deeper hue, a mix between the traditional blue and also a brilliant lavender, giving her a splash of color none anticipated, yet her foot tapping on the floor and tail wagging showed she was more animated than the others clearly.

"It's good to meet you," The Osishan spoke, extending his hand, and after a delay Menct got the idea he was supposed to shake it, hand reaching up and enclosing around it while being careful with his claws. "I'm Aquas, your team leader of Epsilon Squad. The wolf over there is Yenth, and the speedster over there is Veele. Now, what's your name? We can't be a good team without knowing everyone's names after all." Menct thought, and his mandibles moved, clicking rapidly as, for once, something began to sound out, a word he was able to speak thankfully.

"Mmmmmeeeennnnccctt…." Aquas' eyes narrowed a tad from confusion, before he understood after a delay.

"Oh, you have issues speaking…properly; no matter…Menct, I assume, I'm sure there's a good way to understand you, and even then, actions speak louder than words after all."

"Yeah, but what 'xactly is he? He don' look like something I ever saw before." The gnarlish, gruff voice of Yenth spoke up, the wolf approaching and looking over Menct, of course the Aluneca took a step back out of some worry. "Looks like a Sand Ripper but like a bug too…and he smells awful." Menct, of course, let out a sharp snarl in his direction out of irritation, watching Yenth stumble back and fall over, landing on his back and hearing the other two laugh at his misfortune while he just growled at them, Menct not even being aware of his tail beginning to slowly wag from the positive emotions he was feeling.

All his life he was told he was just a freak and a waste of space, and with these aliens these…misfits, he felt like he was something more.

"Hey! Saddle up, all four of you!" They turned to see Rubiac standing in the doorway, soon motioning to the hall on his right. "We got clearance to use the Training Room, meaning you're gonna get some real combat experience before we work on drills."

"Ah sweet!" Yenth was on his feet in seconds, claws bore and fangs exposed with his quadra hinged maw opened. "Who're we sickin'? Some robots? Those reject Plumbers of Omega Squad?"

"You'll be sparing against one another, so let's move it and get it done, alright?" They were all moving out in seconds, soon Menct being the last one in the room alone, and as soon as he took a step towards the door he saw her lean in, Veele's visor lifted as she waved to him.

"C'mon Menct, if we're sparing I'll be sure to take it easy on you, alright?" And with that she was gone, the Aluneca following them at a brisker tempo, in such a good mood he didn't even notice he was walking on all fours, getting weird looks along the way…he didn't know why honestly.

He didn't let it bother him, he was happy and he'd let nothing slow his stride.

To Be Continued…


	3. Sparing to Agreement

The Training Arena was as strange as it sounded, with various items along it but a blue and green floor, where those there would spar and fight one another to test their might. Menct stepped within after the rest of his team did, and slowly stood up on two legs, walking with a hunched stature as he joined the others, all of them standing together while Rubiac spoke to them, no doubt instructing them on what to do.

"Now listen up Plumbers, in order to access your combat abilities and how well you all can fight, we're gonna have you fight one another. Let's keep this clean: no super speed, no water jets, and no sonic howls; fight with only your fists and your training." He pointed to Aquas and then Veele. "You two are up first, head into the ring and go."

"Yes sir but," Aquas spoke, Veele already in the ring and with her arms crossed. "Is it to knockout or ring out?"

"Ring out," He waved his hand and a green ring surrounded the fighting area, Menct's eyes drawn to it for a second but he calmed down. "It saves us time and risk of injury." Menct stood his ground as he watched Aquas and Veele clash, the team leader moving swiftly and aiming his strikes at the speedy reptilian, while she worked to block and try to counter as best she could.

But not even Menct understood why he was rooting for her, hand lifting a tad and a sharp click to leave him…cheering as best he could.

Finally, after a long enough fight, Aquas landed outside the ring from a nasty strike.

"Well done Veele, now next up, Yenth against Menct…keep it fair boys." Menct slowly stepped past the barrier, tail flicking, as the wolf alien did the same, raising his claws and waiting…Menct not sure what he was planning.

That was of course until he lunged, claws swinging rapidly and slashing along the Aluneca's side.

Pain filled him, as he stifled a pained snarl, shoving forward and knocking the Loboan onto his back, Yenth rolling to his feet and putting on the offensive, claws slashing and feet kicking at him. He did the best he could to counter, as he tried to think of a solution, for each strike made Menct stumble further and further away from the ring and closer to the ring out zone. He couldn't think of something to counter with, while being fair, as if he really tried he could hurt Yenth, and while the Loboan was rude earlier he didn't deserve severe claw marks on his form.

However, a good hit from Yenth caused Menct's head to curve left, his helmet clattering to the floor and his vison dropping heavily. He could hear them grow worried, and Menct saw an opening, per say; lashing out and ramming Yenth as hard as he could, the Loboan staggering back before, as a desperation measure to keep from falling, shot his claw out to grab onto Menct and steady himself.

A piercing screech that made his ears ring was a sign he didn't grab something, as they all saw what coated his claws.

Thin purple ooze, and Aquas was the first to see that along the Aluneca's head were three long lines, already welling up with the creature's blood.

"That's it, I'm calling it in," Rubiac said, shaking his head and stepping over. "We'll try combat sparing again another time, right now Menct needs medical attention. I'll get him there…someone grab his helmet; those wounds look too nasty to try and have him wear it still." The Petrosapien pat Menct's shoulder and guided him, the creature's head darting about wildly, unable to really find his way, as the others left as well.

Save for Yenth. He just…sat there, staring at the blood on his claws, the blood he unwittingly drawn, while trying to do everything possible to win…like with his brother.

"There we are," The medic said, as Menct's mandibles clicked lightly, voicing some pain to the stinging sensation of the antiseptics. "It'll be healed up by tomorrow, until then it'd be best to not wear your helmet until then, just in case they could apply unwanted pressure to the wounds." He walked away, and Menct, for the time, looked around, with his extremely limited sight. His table he was seated on was at the furthest corner of the room, and even now he could barely see halfway across it before things went…foggy and blurry, unable for him to really make it out.

He _hated_ this feeling of blindness. It made him feel so…weak, and helpless, like the other Aluneca constantly said to him…maybe they were right after all…

"Menct?" His head turned towards the voice he heard. Footsteps echoed out, and soon he calmed down, seeing it was Rubiac. "How's your head doing? Not too bad?" His head shook slowly, the Petrosapien sighing in relief.

"What happened in the ring…let's not dwell on it. Mistakes and accidents happen all the time, but at the very least the wounds aren't too severe, considering a Loboan's claws can cut through most things instantly. The fact that your skin…er…chitin…held up 'gainst it makes me wonder just what you are." A sharp knock at the door made them both glance towards the sound, Menct's mandibles clicking when he saw it was the others, Aquas being the first to clear his throat and speak.

"Glad to see you're okay Menct; Yenth's sorry about the…well injury he gave ya." The Aluneca could see the Loboan there as well, his look now being somber now as opposed to the brutish, angry look he wore in the ring. He spoke up after the mollusk looked up at him, sighing a tad.

"I really _am_ sorry, just…when I was shoved, when I was knocked back I thought I was gonna lose…like I've been losing my life back on my home world. After a while ya get sick of it, and the very thought makes me…snap…" He was growling at this point, but he shook it off, his eyes returning to their somber gaze. "But in the long run I really am sorry for the scars…hope they'll heal up well."

It wouldn't, Menct knew scars never heal from Alunecan chitin unless he shedded his skin, and that'd occur once every month.

"Guess it's another mess up for the Misfits." Menct's maw clicked a few times, voicing confusion. Able to…somewhat get this, Yenth motioned to Aquas, the leader getting the idea and clearing his throat.

"Most of the Plumbers call Epsilon Squad the Misfits due to each of us being…in a way outcasts or different from the typical ones. Like me for example, unlike most Orishans I'm…thinner and weaker, and due to some faulty genes I can't use Hydrokinesis; just water breathing and some reflexes, not to mention I was born with a pale white exoskeleton. It's made life extremely hard on my home world as well."

"Same can be said for me," Veele admitted, shaking her head. "Unlike normal Kinecelerans I'm actually a tad slower; can't even hit Mach 5 when trying my best, not to mention smaller claws."

"And I'm smaller and weaker than most known Loboans, hence my smaller stature."

"Even I have a bit of the misfit title in me," Rubiac spoke up, the team turning to look towards him. "Unlike most, or rather _all_ Petrosapiens my body has some red glow in it, a bit of a DNA blunder there."

Menct…never felt more surrounded by friends. They were all just like him in ways he couldn't even anticipate; they were all looked down upon by their own peoples and their own races, some lightly and some heavily, rendering them unfit to be one of them.

Perhaps fate brought them together after all.

"Fffffffrrrrrriiiieeeennnnnddddsss…" Menct's mandibles clicked, reaching his clawed hand out to pat Yenth's head, as a show of good faith though he did growl warningly.

"Seems we just got a whole lot closer, let's go hit the Mess Hall before we turn in; tomorrow we'll begin on some training exercises and try to see how well you four handle with some good ol' Plumber Blasters, and then we should work on getting a field test arranged, maybe scope out some hostile worlds."

Menct was getting the feeling that he didn't need to just pass, all of them had valid reasons to become Plumbers; to prove those wrong who spoke down to them all their lives. The only thing that he held in exception to them was that his race was beyond unknown to the Plumbers.

But his team didn't seem to mind that…his friends didn't seem to mind that at all…

"Are you sure you have an Aluneca here?" Azmuth asked, currently standing on a terminal, Max and Ben present as well, neither sure why he was so concerned, the trio currently present in some sort of observational room, overlooking the training grounds and reviewing the fight between Yenth and Menct from earlier. "And you didn't just blast the creature to the Null Void on the spot? Unwise choice, Ben."

"What's the big deal? He seemed harmless, friendly's a bit far but he wasn't a threat; he's in the academy to be a Plumber anyhow so he'll save lives. So everyone wins…right?"

"There's a good reason I'm so worried," Azmuth spoke, tapping the computer terminal and displaying something neither having seen, what looked like Menct but…more corrupted, with large bat wings, four arms, and plating along his body, not to mention weird wisps around his arms.

"Aluneca, in their own galaxy, are about as threatening as Vilgax, the Incurseans, and all known forces combined. They literally _eat_ their foes, and their bodies process the genetic structure of them and then replicate it in a form they can use."

"So in other words…" Max began to say, just as Ben got the big picture.

"They can literally take the powers of any alien in the galaxy- "

"Make that the entire universe; they prey upon other species, either use them to increase their numbers or feed on them, and then move on to another world. The only reason they're Peacekeepers in their own galaxy is because no one's stupid enough to mess with a race that'll literally use the powers of other aliens to _kill_ them."

"Then what's the big deal about Menct then? More powers means he can be a better Plumber."

"All Aluneca have that drive in their minds; the drive to kill, consume, and become, and your…Menct, is no different. Give him a few weeks, perhaps even days, and he'll attack and start eating his companions, grow out of control into something uncontrollable, even with the Omnitrix."

"And why's that? When Kevin was evil I used the Omnitrix to beat him before, several times too."

"Yes but can you defeat a creature that'll essentially use not just the Omnitrix's aliens against you, but also that of the Nemetrix too, and perhaps even aliens you've never even seen or come into contact before. He can perhaps even rival the damage of even Vilgax, and much worse, and that's just if he gets a little insane; imagine what'd happen if he got the DNA of Alien X?"

Ben was silent, as he had no retort to that…they were potentially dealing with something capable of doing so much untold damage, so much carnage and chaos…but Ben couldn't just get rid of him; Menct was really dedicated to being a Plumber, to doing something good for a change and helping people.

"Azmuth, we can't just toss Menct out; he really wants to be a Plumber and help people. It's not our place to deny him that, and about the whole 'monster' thing, we can just help him suppress those instincts, that'll work right?"

"Ben's right, besides even if he does start getting the instincts of his kind, we can have Eunice calm him down, and I doubt it'll ever come to that."

"Bah, so be it…just if he ever does get to that horrific state, use the Pyronite DNA you have…it'll solve everything." And with that he was gone, teleporting himself elsewhere after a brief delay.

But the facts still haunted both Ben and Max. If Menct ever did go out of control and obey his drives…it could be virtually impossible to defeat him.

To Be Continued…


	4. Unwitting Engagement

The training wasn't easy.

Becoming a Plumber wasn't a simple walk in the park: it required dedication, fervor, willpower, and above all else, determination.

Menct had all of those.

He spent weeks training with his team, working hard to perfect his powers and talents, as he was intent to let nothing stop his journey to becoming a Plumber.

He'd destroy anything that tried anyhow…

"So…isn't this extremely against regulations?" Aquas asked, as the team was…busy.

In all honestly, they were atop a roof overlooking a Mr. Smoothie, all of them with a nice drink to slurp on, even Menct, as his mandibles pretty much tore the cup apart to get to the succulent grape flavor he put in there. It was in the middle of the night, well past curfew but none the less here they were…on a smoothie run. Yenth heard Aquas' question, and shrugged, ripping the top to his drink off and downing the cyan frosty drink.

"Meh, don' sweat it; I'm sure no one minds us goin' for a midnight stroll. Besides, the drinks were worth it, right Menct?" The Aluneca nodded rapidly, going for another one they had nabbed and downed it equally fast. Veele shrugged and lightly sipped her own, looking down to Aquas with a nonchalant expression.

"Even if they do notice we're gone, we can just say we were out helping Ben Tennyson or something; a good lie if ya ask me."

"Seems he might need our help then." He pointed, and they all turned to see what he had made known. In the near distance, a block over almost, a building was currently engulfed in flames. They could see human firefighters there as well, trying to put the fire out, as they were all able to see Ben Tennyson down there, rushing into the building after turning into…the wrong alien; Rath in this case.

"We should go do our job as Plumbers and save a life or two, let's go." Aquas was already gone, dropping off the roof and running as fast as he could, Veele following suit as Yenth was about to jump too, but saw…Menct was actually terrified, shivering and cringing.

"Whas the matter Menct? Scared?" It was a joke originally, but when he nodded frantically he was able to grasp that whatever Menct was he couldn't handle fire…weird. "L-Look, we'll be there with you, Plumbers gotta face their fears anyhow." The Loboan was gone, and finally Menct followed him, the four of them skirting to the back side of the burning building, Aquas taking point and thinking.

"So, whaddya want us to do sir?" Yenth asked, stepping up and covering his nose, the burning smell irritating him. Aquas' response was simple, running up and drop kicking the burning wall, flying straight through it and landing in the building, shaking some of the smoldering wood off his exoskeleton.

"We go in, find Ben, and help him save whoever's in there. Now let's move; we need to be in and out before the humans see us anyways."

"Forgot they're afraid of us still." Veele muttered, stepping inside and Yenth encouraging Menct to walk inside, though the entire time the Aluneca was walking on all fours, trembling and shivering. Aquas and Veele noticed, the girl kneeling down and grabbing the sides of his head, making him look up at her, as her visor lifted to show her warm face.

"It's okay Menct, no matter what happens we'll be here to protect and help you. We're a team after all, so it's alright. The fire can't hurt you if you don't let it." That seemed to calm him down slightly, the Aluneca easing himself and soon standing completely up, and then spotting something ahead, able to see Rath there…and two others: a girl with orange hair and glasses with a rugged male standing at her side. From what he recalled from the Plumber Textbook those two must be Gwen Tennyson and Kevin Levin, two known icons in the book as well…albeit more reserved.

"Ben?" Aquas asked, stepping out and noticing all of them look to him, the rest of the team following behind after a brief delay. "It's okay, it's me, Aquas…the guy you keep calling Water Hazard two?"

"Lemme tell ya somethin', strange alien who looks like Water Hazard who Rath has seen before in Plumber HQ once or twice and perhaps had a single conversation with before moving on with things and thinkin' you're gonna do good in the academy, I have no idea why you're here but we should probably get out of here before we all get hurt pretty badly in this fire which I tried fighting earlier but I got nowhere at all!"

Menct…didn't like Rath. He was too loud. But none the less the point was proven, Yenth about to run with the others but Aquas grasped his arm to stop him.

"What's the holdup Aquas?! This place is goin' down!"

"We go through the back; no human visuals." While it meant a longer run, it none the less was still the best means, as Menct was the first to dive out the back, Veele landing on his back, followed by Yenth and then Aquas, just as the building collapsed.

"You guys okay?" A muffled voice rang out, Aquas being the first to lift his Plumber Communicator and check it, hearing that it was Ben. "No one hurt over there?"

"We're fine, Menct's body softened the blow of the fall."

"Heh, that's good; listen, head to the Mr. Smoothie down the block, we should be able to meet there and…not have anyone wonder about you guys, provided you can get some decent disguises."

None of them liked the sound of that…

"Well this is embarrassing." Yenth growled, currently lacking his Plumber armor, much like the rest of them. In order to properly blend in to visit Ben at the Mr. Smoothie each of them had to, in a sense, downgrade, with the exception of Aquas due to his exoskeleton.

The mollusk being wore some old Earth clothes, a hoodie with some work gloves meant to cover much of his form, along with some baggy grey jeans and boots. It was a tad uncomfortable but it meant it'd be hard for anyone to really know he wasn't human unless they were extremely attentive.

Veele wore something close to what Aquas wore, aside from wearing a jacket meant to blend with her helmet's hue, making people think she just wore a biker's helmet with her overall guise. Her wheeled feet were concealed with some sneakers, and baggy jeans as well, meant to cover her hind legs, tail being exposed still but she refrained from moving it; people would just think it was a fake one and ignore it.

Yenth wore something exactly like hers, but with a scarf wrapped around his face to keep it concealed, save for his eyes, as well some worker gloves as well. He was obviously hating the look, as he constantly scratched at it, but his tail was concealed as well in his pants.

Menct's look was beyond simplistic but extremely weird. He just wore a burlap cloak that covered up his entire body. It was simple and easy, as no one asked questions on who he was.

"Nice costumes." Was all that Kevin muttered, smirking to himself as he could hear Yenth's snarling and Aquas holding him back. The original trio spoke to themselves, while Epsilon squad sat at a close by table, with Yenth of course still scratching at his clothing.

"Yenth calm down, you're drawing attention."

"I can't help it! It's like a hundred degrees in 'ere, and 'specially with this fur and clothing on! I'm burnin' up in here!"

"Just try to endure it, if we stick with Ben Tennyson we'll not only have an easy out from getting in trouble for sneaking out, but also free smoothies and perhaps even some valuable field experience as well."

"Easy for you to say, you're used to being heated like that!" They continued on while Menct glanced over to Tennyson, or rather the main reason he got into the academy, still he was a good person. The Aluneca wished he could thank him now, when he had the time, but still he lacked speaking capabilities.

Still, today seemed pretty fine. Ben would finish catching up with his friends, he'd help them get back to HQ out of good faith, and they'd get off scot free and not have to suffer any punishments or probations for breaking the rules.

Seemed things could out after all.

That was, of course, until the Mr. Smoothie exploded, the shrapnel hitting the ground near Menct and causing him to freak out a tad. Above was a Tetramand ship, and the humming from it signaled it was ready to fire, Aquas being the first to jump up and get moving.

"We need to get outta here, now!" The squad moved for the Proto-TRUK, where they knew Ben's companion Rook was, piling atop it and holding on.

"You sure you guys don't wanna ride in here with us?" Ben asked, looking up as he climbed in. "Might be a whole lot safer than riding on top the truck."

"We'll manage, just get this thing moving before they fire again!" Yenth shouted, as he saw the Tetramand vessel turn to aim at them, the truck lurching forward and barely avoiding a shot, the team clamped down on the back while Aquas reached for something he brought with him in case of emergencies.

"Dude! You had a gun this entire time?" Yenth shouted, shivering from the wind as Aquas kept one hand on the truck, and the other steadied upwards to aim and fire at the ship, the green blasts unfortunately ricocheting off the sides. When the truck transformed into the flight capable vessel and zoomed off Aquas nearly flew off had Menct's tail not darted out to wrap around his leg, holding him there.

"Th-Thanks Menct." The Osishan clamped back down to the vessel, watching the top open a tad and Ben's head pop out, avoiding a blast from the ship.

"Any of you got a bright idea to take down that ship? The Omnitrix's being weird again!" Menct nodded, and before anyone could ask he did something borderline insane.

He let go of the Proto-TRUK, and flew _directly_ at the enemy ship, claws stabbing into its hull and holding firm. His HUD flashed and warned him of a multitude of things, but a major one was where to aim, claws lifting and spike tipped tail moving as well, slashing and punching the thrusters of the ship. Menct did the best he could to damage them considerably before he felt the ship begin to wiggle and jerk out of control, the Aluneca running to the bow and jumping off it, claws digging into the Proto-TRUK's hull just as the Tetramand ship spun out of control and crashed, Aquas being somewhat stunned with his Menct handled it but Yenth was ecstatic.

"Wohoo! Good going Menct!"

But something told the Aluneca that wasn't the last they'd see of their pursuer.

"Good idea back there," Ben pat Menct's shoulder, having to look up to do so, his trademark smirk present. "I'd have done it myself but the wanted to be weird; no idea why this new Omnitrix wants to be that guy all the time." The Aluneca shrugged, he didn't even know what an Omnitrix is save for some sort of device.

"So now what, Ben Tennyson?" Aquas stepped up, as did the rest of the team. "What do we do now?"

"Well, all we know is our…friend is after Kevin directly, pursuing him relentlessly. So we need to work on hiding him somewhere, probably Undertown."

"Understood, and what of us?"

"Hmm…well maybe we can help each other out here: you guys help me keep Kevin from getting creamed, and I'll make sure no one wails on you for being gone so long…not to mention see if I can get you all some promotions."

Yenth's howl nearby was a signal that he was happy, though it made Menct cover the sides of his head, snarling.

"Yeesh, he's loud. Anyhow, you guys can drop those costumes; we're heading somewhere you're good." The wolf was the first to rip his suit apart, now only in a pair of torn up shorts and a ruined shirt, howling in bliss of being free. Veele tore her own clothes up a tad so her legs and tail were free, flexing her claws a bit when she was freed. Aquas removed his own guise as did Menct, but the creature was the only one who still possessed his armor, and thus just shrugged.

For some reason he did tie some of the cloth around his neck in the form of a cape and hood, though none were sure why.

"…Ben…your friend's weird." Was all Kevin said, still glancing at the Aluneca.

Ben couldn't disagree with him there.

"So, how long must we help Ben Tennyson with this?" Veele asked Aquas, Menct walking on all fours behind them while Yenth was busy talking to the teen hero and his friends, enamored with their adventures. In response Aquas could only shake his head, nowhere near knowing the answer to that puzzling question.

"I'm not sure Veele, this could go on all day, but let's consider the perks over the costs; if we do assist Ben and his friend in their mission we'll be able to get back without any incident, not to mention we could get access to our own ship for offworld missions."

"As much as I like the sound of that, we still should be careful. We've never gone up against Tetramands before, even in the simulations…and I heavily doubt Menct's gone against them either."

"I know but so far things are going well; a Tetramand wouldn't dare assault Undertown without warning; it'd possibly alert every Plumber in this side of the galaxy—" Menct grabbed him by the waist and yanked him, the Osishan barely avoiding some nasty shrapnel from something crashing in front of the small party, Yenth being the first to snarl and bare his teeth, the pod opening slowly and for the occupant to rise out….she was obviously a Tetramand female, decorated in ceremonial war armor, as her lower arm held a weird rat alien, and all of the Epsilon team could hear her next statement.

I am Princess Looma Red wind; I have come to claim my husband, Kevin E. Levin!"

Much of the team was in silent, though they were ready for a fight if it came, Yenth being the first to blindly spring into action, claws bore and maw extending to its full quad hinged might, about to let loose a fury of sonic howls onto her, to knock her to the ground and keep her away from the others.

…or that _would_ have happened. Instead the girl's arm swept out, catching him by the neck and brutally smashing him into the ground, Yenth groaning in pain.

"Everyone move! We'll see what we can do about holding her back!"

"Don't needa tell me twice!" Kevin was already gone, Aquas pulling his blaster out and firing at her, seeing the shots do mostly nothing against her. Aquas kept firing at her, stepping back as Yenth was up on his feet moments later, once again trying to attack her and ending the same, only this time sliding over to the rest of the team, in more severe pain.

"Felt like a truck hit me twice…at full speed…" Menct was after her as she advanced towards where he saw Kevin dart off to, already seeing the man downed on the ground and in utter agony. The Aluneca could hear Ben had changed forms, to that of a Geochelone Aerio…a turtle essentially, already seeing the one called Looma lash out and latch onto his back, ducking when they flew past and crashed into some pipes further ahead.

"Menct, we need to move after them; no telling what sort of damage that princess intends to wreck!" Aquas spoke, clambering up to one of the roofs and following them, Yenth following suit while rubbing his sore head.

"Same, plus I don' think he'll get us that promotion if we botch this…" Shaking his head Menct leapt up as well, following along with his team…aware of how severe this was getting.

The way that girl, Looma moved, she was someone of extraordinary power…it'd be extremely suicidal to fight her head on without thinking of a battle plan.

"We're here!" Aquas spoke, panting and out of breath, as Veele rested against the wall nearby. They were in the sewers now, having regrouped with the others, though everyone but Veele seemed exasperated and out of breath.

"You're just in time," The one called Gwen spoke, as far as Menct recalled, seeing her glare towards Kevin. "He was _just_ about to tell us just why she's after him in the first place."

The story followed suit, and after hearing the entire thing…Aquas sighed.

"You strung along a Tetramand Princess, one of the _Red wind_ house…for some parts? How stupid can someone be? Like that's literally top 3 dumbest things to do…the second strangely is sticking one's hand in a Slamworm's mouth when it's asleep."

"Well how else was I gonna get my car to be invincible…pretty much gets banged up every single day I'm here."

"Aq, he's gotta point; Tetramands make really tough stuff. I should know, my brother used some things he bought there to make us trainin' dummies…still can't believe they held up all these years."

"How long was that?"

"Ten odds are."

"Can we focus?" Ben finally interjected, crossing his arms. "We need to figure out a way to handle this…without getting someone severely hurt or worse."

"What can be worse than where we are right now?" The second Aquas asked that the wall exploded, a red skinned hand clenching onto Kevin's shirt and lifting him upwards, Looma standing in the hole that was made.

"Crap! Don' worry Kev, we gotcha!" Yenth lunged at her again, and found himself in the _exact_ same position, this time face down in the sewer water.

"Yeah sure take your time, not like I'm goin' anywhere!" Ben's Omnitrix flashed and he zoomed at her, currently as XLR8, Veele following suit, only for her to clothesline the both of them.

"Dangit…alright Menct, any ideas? Wait…Menct?" The Aluneca had already charged at her from above, barreling into her and actually making her stumble a bit, the girl looking not down but _directly_ at him, more or less being the same size as him.

"What's this? A mere deformed Sand Ripper seeks to challenge me?" He didn't actually know what that meant but he found it offensive, tail lashing at the ground and for him to swing it at her. The girl's grip crunched around his tail and flung him at the wall, landing atop a groaning Ben and Veele, Yenth getting up after a delay.

"Ha! Least I ain't the only one gettin' my butt kicked- "Her foot crushing down on his head was another down for him, Looma using the momentum to leap upwards to a pipe and rush through it, still holding Kevin and running off with him.

"We're on our way Kev, just hold on!" Ben shouted, following her along with Veele and Yenth, Aquas running up the wall and leaping into the pipe to follow suit. Menct was the last one left, standing and rubbing his sore head, hearing the clatter of his helmet hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" He heard someone ask, having to turn his head in their direction to properly look at them, Rook placing the Proto-Tool on his shoulder. "No head trauma or anything severe?" His head shook, Gwen already moving into the pipe to follow them all.

"We should go, your team needs help, and a Plumber never deserts his team, no matter what." He was gone after that, and Menct looked down to his helmet…the thing was too busted to bring with him. It meant he'd have to go a tad blind but none the less he had to listen to what Rook said, about never abandoning his team.

It was more than just that to him, that was his family up there, and he made an oath to stick with them through thick and thin, thus he clambered into the pipe as well, and followed suit.

Menct leapt from the manhole, shaking his head at the bright lights but he tuned it out, maw snapping and his head jerking to see Kevin on the ground, Gwen and Rook near them.

'Wwwwwhhhhheeeerrrreeee...ttttttteeeeeaaaaaammmmm…...?" Rook turned to look at him, and was about to motion to the construction site ahead, just as Yenth's form hit the ground, bruised and damaged, Aquas following suit, the Osishan groaning and getting to his feet. A crash resonated from above, Looma landing with Ben hitting the ground, Veele following suit. Menct was the first to charge at her, arms locking around her midsection as he tried to use her momentum against her, but all that brought was her flinging him through the stone wall, the Aluneca hitting the shaded ground under the site, in searing pain as his gauntlet cluttered to the ground, broken and useless. He could hear things were escalating out there, and he needed to run out there to help his friends.

He struggled to stand none the less, as he stood slowly, and reached the hole…and saw the problem had _beyond_ escalated.

A Tetramand warship hovered shortly above the ground. Menct's mandibles clicked as he saw someone there as well; more of the four armed aliens, including one who looked much more imposing…and missing an arm and wearing an eyepatch…right, not everyone had regeneration.

"I am not a violent man…per say, but when it comes to my daughter's honor I will do all I can to preserve it, no matter what."

"You and what army?" As soon as Ben said that more ships appeared, all hovering overhead with ominous intent.

"My personal one…it's no big thing really but there they are." Menct just…stared up at the ships, and then to Aquas, his team leader glancing back and shrugging; he had no game plan for this. A strange…cathedral like thing had landed around them, Menct able to make out things forming like an organ, glass plane windows…everything needed for a wedding.

"Ya think we'll get pictures of the happy couple?" Yenth asked, earning glares from the entire team. "Well excuse me for trying to lighten up the mood; got two broken ribs over here and I think she broke my arm as well…it hurts…so much…"

"We can't let it go on like this, I'm putting a stop to this right now." Ben reached for the Omnitrix, and Menct, for a moment there, had a moment of clarity. Sure it seemed good to let Ben handle this, and potentially win, but a voice inside his head, really a whisper, was telling him to act.

He wanted to be a Plumber more than anything, and Plumbers never ran from a problem, no matter how severe nor how powerful. And this…wedding crashing idea, was just what he needed to prove not only to himself he could do the effort and work, but also to get a jump on that prospect.

Menct's claw clamped down on Ben's shoulder, shaking his head. When Ben's look changed into a perplexed one Menct's head lifted, and a single word erupted from it, gnarled and twisted but still audible.

"Fffffffiiiiigggggghhhhttttt!"

"Hmm, what's this?" The larger Tetramand spoke up, turning from the higher ground to look over to Menct, seeing him puff and snap. "A challenger? A strange one none the less but a challenger no doubt…Kevin Levin, do you allow this?" Without even looking he shouted that he agreed, Menct's claws flicking as he motioned for Ben to stand aside…this'd get ugly.

Looma's hand grabbed onto his head in an instant and her fist rocketed into Menct's chest, sending him to the ground with a colossal thud. The Aluneca looked up from the ground and saw a hole in his armor, exposing his dented inwards chest area.

Another hit like that and he'd never get up again. The Tetramand warrior launched herself at him, and Menct rolled over, now on all fours as her fists impacted the spot he had been a moment ago. She lunged again and he dodged once more, trying to think of a way to handle this without letting her get the good blow in.

The idea came, as his claws started to rip the dirt up in the ground, and in seconds Menct was nowhere to be found, save for a hole.

"Did he coward out of the fight? You know this doesn't bode well for Earth, Kevin."

"W-What? N-No, heh heh he's just…eh…trying a trick to fight her, that's all!"

He was beyond right, about a foot from Looma Menct rocketed out, head colliding with Looma's and causing her to stagger, the Aluneca diving back into the ground again, vanishing. This occurred again, but with his claw lashing out, causing her helmet to clatter to the ground, her raven black hair tied into a short ponytail as the armor fell into the hole Menct created.

"Enough games! Fight me like a true warrior!" Her fist shot right, and it barely missed Menct when he leapt out, doing so again and missing again. Each time he missed he either punched, kicked, head butted, or slashed her, all before diving back into the ground again, somewhat in a twisted form of Whack-A-Mole.

"Atta boy Menct! Show her some strategy!"

"A poorly made one," Rook interjected, a worried expression on his face. "After a while, Menct could get predictable, and then careless; Looma'd easily be able to throw a counter and, as you say, bring _him_ the pummeling."

"Ahh, you're overthinkin' it Rook; I'm sure Menct's got it all worked out— "He spoke too soon, Looma's fist driving out and catching Menct _before_ he was able to attack her, lower arms punching his front rapidly before she threw him back, forcing him to stand as she pressed on the assault. Now Menct was in his absolute worst element, her fists raining down on him and all he could do was either block and counter or take the abuse and stagger further back. At this rate, there'd be nowhere left to run…and soon no strength left to fight. Menct, out of desperation, had one idea left, managing to knock Looma's arms away and not going right for the aggressive, but digging underground again, tunneling around her before lunging at her once again, and this time he didn't attack her with his claws or tail…

…rather, he _bit_ her. His mandibles and upper maw clamped down on her exposed forearm, the twisted canines digging deep and drawing some purple colored blood.

"AHHHHH!" Looma's shout echoed off the walls before a fist collided with Menct's head, a sickening crunch echoing out, before she flung him at the wall, forcing him to smash into it and the entire item there to come crashing down on him, leaving only rubble, purple ooze leaking out from around it.

"Menct!" Aquas cried, already moving to assist his friend, but two Tetramand guard stopped him, weapons drawn.

"There's no need for that my dear boy, that creature is…quite possibly dead right about now; nothing could survive being crushed like that." His massive hand clamped down on Kevin's shoulder. "Now, shall we continue?"

"B-But, I'm not good with commitment."

A different story took place a bit away. Underneath the rubble, Menct was…thinking…thoughts racing…body repairing itself…

…they were right…

…they were all right…he really was nothing…just a mistake….

…but…perhaps he could prove them wrong…try to fix this…use the power…the instinct he denied himself access to…it'd endanger his friends.

But he had no other choice now. No choice at all.

"He's gone…and I could've fought for him…" Ben scolded himself, looking towards the rubble that…had Menct's dead body underneath it. "Had I been faster, he'd still be alive."

And then they all heard it, an ear splitting screeching noise that was a mix between a lion's roar, an alligator's bellow, and many more; the rubble smashing away and hitting the ground. Menct rose, but something was different about him, something Ben took notice to in seconds.

He had four arms.

His entire upper body was bulkier, as his upper set of arms were more muscled than the lower ones. His chest armor was absent, and the injuries he sustained were absent as well. Huge spikes rose from his upper back, jolted outwards as well, and his claws were longer, more dangerous.

It was if he completely healed from the injuries he took.

"So you changed forms, no matter, I'll beat you back into the ground!" Looma charged at Menct, and he didn't dodge, tunnel underground, nor even hide.

He simply stood there, and extended his fist.

Hers collided with it, and the resulting shockwave sent them both skidding back, whereas had he been normal it'd have killed him then and there with the force behind the hit.

"Amazing!" Rook spoke, both Kevin and Gar shocked as well from the spectacle. "It seems that when Menct bit Looma, he somehow gained her abilities…and some of a Tetramand's biology as well!"

"Ya don't say…" Ben muttered, watching Menct drop toll fours and charge at Looma, fists meeting each time and his colliding with her body, when hers did the same he didn't seem to show any real pain save for his mandibles clenching every so often. It was almost as if he went beyond hard mode and was giving her a taste of her own medicine! The fight continued onwards, before Menct's hands dug into the ground, ripping a huge chunk of it out, and lifting it, the piece being nigh bus sized!

No one really foresaw him bringing it down upon Looma.

The dust and rubble cleared, Menct stepping out from it, holding Looma with his lower arms, and setting her down on the ground, standing there tall and proud from what he had done.

He won.

He defeated Looma, in honorable combat, he saved Earth!

"Well done! You've more than earned the right to marry my daughter, noble creature!"

"…what?" Was the first real word Menct really spoke, and it made sense with the situation, Ben and the others perplexed as well…and then Rook got it.

"Tetramand females are wed to the warrior that bests them…so thus Kevin, at one point in time, fought Looma and won, for the parts."

"Yeah…she wasn't always that big." They already saw Menct had regressed back, now appearing as he did before the fight even began, with some dents and scars in his chitin.

"…what?" He asked again, watching Looma rise, and was not anticipating her to hug him, patting his back a tad.

"I feel honored to lose to you, my dearest husband."

"…what?"

"Kevin you knew about this? Why didn't you warn Menct…or me for that matter, I was about to dive in there!"

"Yeah…one of those things…welp, gotta go!" His car swerved by, no doubt from a button press, and he climbed inside, Gwen following suit and the car drove off. Looma releasing Menct moments later and leaping back up to the platform with her father, a smile on her face now.

"This change of combatants changes up the clock; we'll return in three years for the wedding it seems. Let's see if you can best her once more, dear boy. Until then, good battles!" And with that they were gone, even the entire cathedral!

"…what?"

"So…you got yourself a fiancé now, eh Menct?" He just looked to Yenth, the Loboan smiling and crossing his arms, and the Aluneca's tail swiped at his foot, causing him to fall onto his back, in more agony. Aquas just shook his head, approaching Menct and patting his shoulder.

"Well either way we're proud of you Menct; you handled that fight like a Plumber wound, not running away from her and playing to her weaknesses, and not going for the lethal wound. Though I don't know what that…thing you did, to take on some of her biology, but it seemed to have done the trick."

"Coolest thing I've ever seen though." Veele smirked, slapping Menct's arm playfully and both of them winced in pain…wounded still. Ben just cringed a tad, motioning to Rook a tad.

"Hey partner…can you call some Plumber medics…these guys need some medical help."

"I want the happy pills!" Yenth was already suffering from the effects of a concussion, going loony.

"I don't even know what to say to you all…" Rubiac spoke, looking to the team currently in the medical wing. The doctor said they'd be out of commission for at least a week until they could heal up, and even then there was no telling how their trip would be viewed.

Apparently helping Ben Tennyson got them into even _more_ trouble.

"You went out in the middle of the night, nearly got yourself exposed, caused high damage to Undertown, and not to mention almost got yourselves killed, how was ANY of that a GOOD IDEA?!"

"S-Sir, it was a small mistake and I- "

"Shut it Aquas, you all could've died out there; Tetramands are extremely powerful, the one you fought alone had the ability and strength to kill all four of you and not even bat an eye. I expected better of you Aquas; you're the team leader, you're supposed to make sound decisions, one that don't put your entire team at risk." That one seemed to sting, the Osishan leaning back against his bedrest, head lowered.

"..." Rubiac sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs, rubbing his face.

"When I look at you four, I see four aliens gathered together by fate…I don't want to lose any of you; all of you have so much ahead of you, and today that could have happened. I'm angry and you all not because you disobeyed orders and went out in the night…I'm angry that you all almost got severely hurt or worse."

"Well, we're still here, sir." Veele spoke up, wincing in pain when she pulled her tail out from under her. "And we stopped a Tetramand fleet from laying waste to the planet…or…rather Menct did."

"I saw the report…and despite everything…you four did handle yourselves well out there. You also did defend the planet against a fleet…technically…so well done. I was concerned to the point where I overlooked the good from this." He stood up, infuriated face relaxing to a more calmed, even happy one. "Defeating a Tetramand warrior, nigh single handily, is no small feat for rookies. And this, being paired with the report Ben Tennyson submitted about you four, you'll get some of the higher missions, and perhaps even more time with Ben on operations…just as soon as you recover."

"Heh, you see it as recoverin', I see it as downtime." Yenth rested his back, resting his hands behind his head. "Might go get some smoothies too."

"No, no smoothies, for now just the stuff the medical staff provides, sorry Yenth, no Grasshopper smoothies for you." Menct couldn't tell if it was out of mock or coincidence, but as he said that Rubiac slurped on a smoothie he had got before coming to visit them…the Aluneca could see it was making his maw water, and a whimpering sound to resonate from him. "Shame too, it's free smoothie's week too…" And with that he was gone, Yenth just sitting there…in a pained trance.

Rubiac could be cruel when he wanted to be, really cruel. But still…he could feel the urges…he had to suppress the as best he could for they could drive him to attack his new family.

He'd have to endure it for the time being, and go back to the diet of artificial meat paste he's been on for the past while…it helped calm him down.

He wondered if it would now, considering he tasted blood.

To Be Continued…

(If one hasn't noticed yet, some things are, as said in chapter 1, changed, such as Looma being fought by Menct, and not Ben. As I said this is an AU, nearly. Some dialogue and events will be different, but as a whole the story will be built around the same, with some things changed and edited as we go on. Ben's still the big hero here but Menct's the hero for his own team and his own crew. If that bothers you then I'm afraid it'd be wise to cease the reading now, the story will continue with some of these elements. Also, bear in mind, some things will be…less detailed than others, this is because Menct views the world different than we do…in several ways; he's still mostly blind.)


	5. New Teammates

The Epsilon Squad had healed up quite well over the week's break they were mandated to take in order to recover from the fight against the Tetramands. Menct had actually recovered first, due to his Alunecan biology. But in the long run he and his friends all healed up rather well.

But Menct knew there was still a problem. He had tried to eat his Meat Paste after he healed, and of course he…just wasn't able to, having thrown up each time he did.

His body needed _real_ flesh now, there wasn't another way out.

* * *

"Ben, we have an issue," Earth's greatest hero stepped into one of the many Plumber HQ rooms, this one a tad more separated from the rest. "It's about Menct."

"Lemme guess, is this about what happened with Looma? Look he did what he could to defeat her, and while it was a tad scary he saved the Earth more or less."

"No it's not that, he can't eat P-Meat anymore."

"P-Meat? Wh-What is that? Some sort of weird stuff?" Max set down a baggie filled with weird pink ooze, Ben shivering at it due to how…weird it looked.

" _This_ is P-Meat; synthetic meat created by Plumber Scientists for more carnivorous and meat eating aliens who are allied with us; Menct and Yenth are heavy examples of this. In the case of Menct he has to eat P-Meat due to…what he managed to tell us. You saw what happened with Looma right?"

"I was there grandpa; of course I did."

"Then you know that he seems to…feed off DNA, bend it like Azmuth said. P-Meat doesn't have any DNA from living creatures his body can use. He ate it ever since he came here until…recently. Now he vomits when he eats it, so we need some sort of means to keep him sated."

 _"_ _All Aluneca have that drive in their minds; the drive to kill, consume, and become, and your…Menct, is no different. Give him a few weeks, perhaps even days, and he'll attack and start eating his companions, grow out of control into something uncontrollable, even with the Omnitrix."_

Azmuth's words haunted Ben now…he remembered why this was happening. Menct biting Looma must've kicked that drive into fruition, and thus now he can't have fake meat.

"So what can we do? Keep him off meat?"

"No, so far I had the Galvans work and they managed to make a collar of sorts, using some of the same tech from the Omnitrix. They said it should work in restricting his abilities in that sense."

"Oh cool, but…wait…" Ben rubbed his chin, confused slightly. "When you said we have an issue…what's the issue here? Menct has a means to eat now and not get weird."

"It's regarding what happened to Looma, the fight really. Azmuth was right all along; Menct really _can_ replicate DNA and assimilate it into his own biology."

"Okay but what about after the fight? He lost those arms afterwards pretty fast, what was that about then?"

"I did some research and some thinking and it might actually stem from the treatment Menct got from his own kind; like some sort of half breed or lower class, and I was right. Aluneca can take the tiniest DNA and use it forever, unless they're born from non-sentient creatures, whereas in that case the DNA fades from their biology unless they take a large amount. A simple bite to the shoulder only gave Menct enough Tetramand abilities to last for a few minutes. It'd take a very high amount of DNA for Menct to really be dangerous, like eating an entire creature in order for him to take permanent DNA." Ben felt that was pretty fair, and less worrying; it meant Menct couldn't get too powerful if the time came.

…unless he actually _ate_ someone. But he seemed so tame and so devoted to being a Plumber and not having to ever go the full mile to protect life in the universe…but then again Kevin used to be extremely bad and evil before he became good…was it possible for someone to go the inverse?

"Anyhow Ben I need you to accompany some Plumbers to pick up the new recruits for Menct's team; they'll be touching down in Bellwood fairly soon and they might need some assistance knowing where to go…as well as in case an attack occurs."

"Why? Why would they need some assistance like that?"

"Both of them come from alien races that the Plumbers aren't too friendly with; one's a Sotoraggian and the other an Ectonurite…or at least 3/4s of one."

"…I…don't know what those are grandpa—"

"One's of the same race Sixsix and Sevenseven are of and the other is the same race Ghostfreak is, mostly." Now _that_ got Ben's attention quite fast, growing concerned pretty fast.

"Those are definitely two races who I know hate Plumbers...what're their stories?"

"The Sotoraggin is called Tarator; based on what we got for his Plumber Bio is that he failed his rite of passage when he was younger and suffered prejudice and mocking for it."

"…and…that's what?"

"Hunting Assassin Androids and not being killed by said androids. He _barely_ survived with his life and thus was seen as a laughing stock. One of his elders eventually jokingly said he should join the Plumbers."

"And lemme guess, he didn't see it as a joke?"

"Exactly, when he enlisted he went from a joke to a traitor to his kind, since they claim we seek to destroy their Bounty Hunting way of life, so there's a high chance one or two Sotoraggins could come after him and try to…deal with him, for his betrayal."

"A good butt kicking should stop that, and what about this Ghostfreak guy—"

" _Girl_ ; she calls herself Hauntra and is only ¾; some product of a gene splicing experiment gone south and now she's a merge between human and Ectonurite. She's supposed to be loyal to Anur Transyl but due to some circumstances and some bullying she's trying to become a Plumber…to her planet's anger. Somewhat hypocritical considering they pushed her to being a Plumber in the first place with their bullying of her and the mistreatment."

"So two people wanna be heroes and their planets are angry and probably wanting to stop them?"

"It's quite possible, and they could even be bold enough to attack Earth or another Plumber protected planet in order to find and execute them."

"A good ol' butt kicking should make 'em think twice about that." Ben smirked a tad, as Max dialed up some Plumbers to speak to them. "So I pick 'em up where exactly?"

"A station orbiting Pluto, you'll be going with Epsilon Squad to make the meeting, and once you have them make a full return back to Earth."

"Seems easy, I should be back in time for Sumo Slammers with that too." And with that he was gone, the young teen en route to get some more friends and some more valued teammates.

But not without collecting Menct and the guys first.

* * *

"So, two new members…how fun." Aquas spoke, checking the ammo on his P-Plasma Blaster, ensuring it was at full capacity. All the team was armed with these as well, save for Ben, as the Proto-TRUK rapidly flew towards the station they'd meet their new team members at. "Wonder if they're gonna be as fun as you guys."

"I'm sure, the reports say these guys're cool." Yenth smirked, aiming his own rifle and pulling the trigger, the safety ensuring it wouldn't fire. "Might get a smoothie run buddy and another fun guy to break stuff with."

"Well let's get ready, we're almost here." Veele stood up and rolled her shoulders. They all felt the ship touch down and the back slowly lower down, Plumber soldiers standing around and walking about; the entire orbital station working rapidly. The pristine white and green halls were lined with Plumber Tech, and those here were mostly high ranking Plumber officials, no newbies whatsoever.

"Epsilon Squad?" A gruff, metallic sounding voice asked, Ben and the others turning towards the source of the sound.

The being who stood there towered over Ben, but was a few inches shorter than Menct still, keeping his record of the tallest one in the group. He was obviously the Sotoraggin aforementioned, clad in black armored pants and a white armored chest plate, the gauntlets and greaves being a mix of red and white as well. His helmet mirrored that if the infamous Sevenseven; alterations being his X pattern was in a shade of green much like Menct's, and his helmet lacked any point at the back of it.

A major thing was on his chest a Universal Translator was present; his people didn't exactly speak English.

"Good to meet you…um…" Aquas stepped forward and respectfully offered his hand, the clawed hand of the Sotoraggin's clenching around his.

"Tarator, a name I designated for myself."

"Nice name," Veele perked up, the alien nodding to her. "But how are you talking to us? I thought your kind didn't…speak English like we do, no offense."

"None taken, and I wear a Universal Translator incorporated into my armor at all times…without it none of you'd be capable of understanding me."

"Well we're glad we can understand you now; my name's Aquas, Epsilon Team Leader, the Loboan is Yenth, the speedster Veele, and the…big guy, Menct. And you already know Ben Tennyson, correct?"

"There's a chapter and a half on him now that we're required to learn, of course I know him." He spoke, shaking his head, as Aquas noticed something already.

"Aren't there two of you? Where's the other member of our team?"

"Hauntra? She'll be back shortly; told me she wanted to step away and grab something. But I advise you to be…mindful around her," He gestured to Veele, causing her to tilt her head. "Let's just say she tends to get…grabby."

"Wait…define grabby—" Her words were cut off, as all of them could see _something_ grabbing at her chest! "Jeez!" She was already hunched over covering herself, as they watched the last member literally materialize.

Her skin was bedsheet pale, course black hair covering most of her head, as it obscured one of her eyes, the visible one being a deep amber color. She wore normal clothing, like a deep blue hoodie with the entire left sleeve removed, fingerless gloves on both hands as her baggy black shorts blended well with her blue sneakers. As an indication of being a Plumber she wore a badge along her exposed arm and a belt as well, but aside from that she was the most casual out of all of them. The entire time she was standing over Veele, a heavy grin on her face as her arms were crossed; she was obviously a trouble maker.

" _That's_ what I meant by grabby." Tarator spoke up, shaking his head at Hauntra's groping of Veele. "She's done this a lot since we got here, probably because most of those on her home world aren't…good to grope."

"Yeesh, so we got a tough guy and a pervert…I like this." Yenth nodded, crossing his arms. The ghost girl in question just shrugged, grin still ever present even as she spoke.

"What can I say? When there's a good pair of breasts around I can't help myself!"

"Try to, might get us all in some serious trouble," Aquas rubbed his face, looking up to Menct…aware of him scratching at a weird green collar around his neck. "…Menct what is that around your neck? New armor?"

"It's something the Galvans whipped up for him; since if he eats meat there's a chance he can…get weird effects; this thing limits his DNA absorption so he can eat properly."

"Eat properly? Wha's he been eatin' before this?"

"Fake meat," Aquas rubbed his chin, having walked in on Menct feeding once. "Some sort of pink paste like substance, it's probably worked to keep him in check all this time." He shrugged and turned to look at the new members, Menct's mandibles clicking as he accessed his new friends.

"Anyhow we should gear up and begin to head out of here-" A rough lurch made all of them stumble, Plumbers all scrambling about and panicking. "…it's like every time I say that something bad happens."

"Probably, cause we're hurtling towards the sun." True to Tarator's words the entire station was indeed moving towards away from Pluto and slowly but rapidly drifting towards the sun; which'd be a death for the all, as researchers tried to figure out who or what caused it and how to stop this.

And then Menct saw something out the massive window, a ghostly head outside, several dozen of them, all smirking and fading away, Menct tapping Ben and explaining the situation the best way he could.

He pointed to Hauntra, and then to the windows, and then towards the panicking people.

"Wait? You're saying I did this?!" She looked scared for a second there, terrified, but calmed down when Menct rapidly shook his head. Tarator was the first to understand, and glanced towards the window.

"Menct, I think that's his name, is saying some Ectonurites were responsible for this station's sabotage, most likely from possessing some of the guards and personnel to make them rig the controls to send us towards the sun."

"Well that's bad," Ben said, expression growing grim. "But I have a feeling that's not all." True to his word several purple and black ships appeared in the distance, small enough to go undetected but large enough to hold several users, all about the size of the Proto-TRUK. They open fired at the station's hull and side, the purple and red lasers bearing down on several key points of the Plumber owned facility before vanishing as quick as they came.

"And _there_ was the rest of the problem…Sotoraggin Destroyer Vessels; they must've fired for a few key points on the station, most likely to make us unable to reach the places we need to go in order to stop the drift."

"A coordinated attack, never thought I'd see the day." Aquas shook his head, arming his blaster. "They must really despise the fact you two are joining us."

"No doubt, in the mean time we need to work to get this station fortified and repaired; even if the controls are fixed the nanotech controlling the jets was damaged with the shots."

Ben had an idea, as he activated the Omnitrix, slowly switching to find someone to use.

"Which one of you can survive in space?" Tarator and Menct's hands lifted, as did Aquas. "You guys go head out and run along the outside to fix those spots that got damaged. Easy right?" None really had a means to tell him that was extremely hard, but Menct was already gone, claws mashing onto the airlock release valve, rushing inside and mashing the switch to cycle the air, just as Aquas and Tarator dove inside as well.

"Why do you always act without thinking Menct?" The Orishan questioned, looking around for some sort of weapon. "It's gonna get us hurt one day." In response Menct just made a series of clicks…and the worst part was Tarator _nodded_.

"Your friend has a point; not acting first leaves you open for injury."

"Wait you can understand him?!"

"…somewhat; whatever language he speaks is a broken version of Sotoraggin. While I can't understand _exactly_ what he says, I can get the gist."

"Learn something new every day…" Menct was too busy trying to get the airlock open, as the air finished cycling and Aquas' hood engaged to ensure he could breathe properly. The vacuum of space greeted the three of them, gravity fading, as Menct's claws jammed into the hull, rapidly skittering along it.

"He moves faster than ever anticipated…" Tarator mused, Aquas following him and Tarator used the jets on his back to move as well, keeping up with Menct rather well. "Once we get to the spots I'll work on repairing the sections, you two keep an eye out."

"Alright, did you get that Menct?" The Aluneca let out a chirp noise, already coming to a stop at one of the affected areas.

The spot was darkened and covered in black soot from the explosion, the wiring fried and sparking; Tarator arriving and pulling a small welder from his pocket, beginning to work.

"We're working pretty well over here," Aquas said, his own hands clamping down on one of the ridged sides so he could hold on, head darting about to look for any issues or remaining Ectonurites wanting to stick around and cause mayhem. "How are things going over for you Veele?"

"Fine Aq, so far-hey! Not so hard!"

"…pardon?"

"Sorry, Haunta keeps groping me the second I look away for too long…getting weird. Not bad but…weird."

"…noted, anyhow are you guys close to getting things fixed?"

"Close, Yenth and Ben are working as hard as they can; Brainstorm's making things really easy thankfully so I don't gotta do anything. What about you guys?" Tarator's thumbs up was the insurance needed.

"We're doing fine, so far we got one of the problems fixed; how many more do we have Tarator?"

"Two, give or take, but we might have some company." He motioned behind them, the Orishan seeing another Sotoraggin vessel, Menct being once again first to act, leaping at it and using the lack of gravity to fly right at it; claws clamping down on the side. He already started to rip things apart and throw them, the ship beginning to sputter and shake before violently exploding, Aquas being the first to cringe at the sight of that.

"I thought we'd do this without…actually killing anyone." Menct started to make a series of chattering noises, shaking his head.

"He has a point Aquas; Sotoraggins are relentless and ever pursing, if we left that pilot he'd have kept coming after us until one killed the other. Even then, it's for the best; end one life to save thousands." Aquas sighed, rubbing his concealed head and shaking it.

"…fine, Menct, keep them off Tarator while he works…do whatever you must in order to do so. I'll head to the next spot and try to fix it so we can hurry this up." The Aluneca nodded, just as another ship showed up. He was already upon it in seconds, claws ripping at the hull before this one acted different; upon Menct critically damaging it the pilot crashed it into the airlock they came from, sealing it with the rubble, as Menct had let go moments later. Tarator was the first to glance over at the scene, and sigh.

"There goes our way back inside, at least the simple one; how's it going up there?"

"I got it fixed, took some time and some effort but I got it."

"Good, what are your orders then sir?"

"Oh! Um…I guess let's head back inside and—" The entire station lurched suddenly, both Tarator and Aquas barely getting a grip before things steadied. "Okay _that's_ new! Veele, what's going on?!"

"I dunno! Whoever was in here earlier messed the controls up too much for us to get things in order! Any idea what to do now?" Menct, even though the visor, could see what was going on for Aquas, as he was completely silent.

He had a horrified expression on his face. Like before he literally didn't know what to do, nor did he have a plan.

Everyone was depending on him, and for once he literally had _nothing_ for them; no plan, no idea, no means of saving everyone, he was as helpless as the rest of them. Menct was in front of him in seconds, and a rough claw swipe to his head made him snap out his daze, and Menct said one good word, a word he could clearly understand despite the circumstances.

"Lllllleeeeaaaadddd!"

"…you're right." His tone went from unsure and unconfident to bold and prepared, his hand moving for his Plumber Communicator as those four eyes narrowed in focus. "Veele, can you patch me through to the PA systems?"

"Alright, Ben you got—"

"I have more than something, don't worry!" He was still Brainstorm apparently, but none the less the device vibrated a tad, signaling it had complete control over the PA systems, Aquas speaking without an inch of hesitation and all the confidence he could muster.

"Attention all Plumbers, this station's gone and we can't save it. The Sotoraggins and the Ectonurites messed things up too far for us to repair. The only thing we can do is just evacuate; head for the nearest planet or system in a ship, we'll try to get the data and other things backed up, but we're not risking any lives out here." He cut the line, and glanced to Menct, calmed down significantly.

"How was that?" The Aluneca's thumbs up said it all. "Good, let's get inside and head back to the Proto-TRUK and head home."

"We can't go yet," Brainstorm's voice suddenly blared into their communicators, Aquas growing concerned as he lifted his. "If we leave the station as it is we could lose the entire _sun_!"

"Explain; how are we gonna lose the sun?"

"The technology and power sources for this station are of an extreme nature, the Power Core itself is strong enough to cause a nigh nuclear explosion if it goes critical. If this station does indeed hit the sun and the core goes critical as well, the entire star could be extinguished!"

"And that means loss of life in general on Earth…so this is new." Aquas shook his head…Menct beginning to notice it was always _something_ that got in the way…maybe that's why they got in trouble for hanging out with Ben Tennyson; he was a magnet for dangerous things! "Tarator, can you locate another way for us to get inside?"

"Yes sir, so far there's another airlock twelve meters from here; it'll put us far from the Core's holding area but we'll be back inside."

"Good, and how much time before the station hits the sun and all life as we know it ends on Earth?"

"One hour; and it'll take some time to get to the Core Room."

"We're barely gonna make it, let's move!" No time was wasted; the three of them reaching the airlock and not even waiting for the thing to cycle…or at least Menct didn't; he ripped the doors open and then punched the terminal there, the three of them landing in as the emergency blast doors slammed down.

"While I _am_ angry how you got us in Menct we don't have time," Aquas was already sprinting, the others in tow. "Let's just get this all sorted out; Veele you read me?"

"Yes sir, we're heading towards the Proto-TRUK, or at least Hauntra and Yenth are, as well as Ben's partner Rook. Did you need me to head for the core?"

"Yes, and when you get there get everything opened up so we can shut it down, hopefully automatically," They rounded a corner, Tarator bounding over a downed obstruction, now able to see several dozen ships fly away from the station as they moved. "Time we have left?"

"Forty-One minutes and counting."

Menct actually had the idea they'd make it actually.

…he was already expecting the worst.

* * *

The door caved in from Menct smashing through it. All three of them stepped in and looked upon the green light bathed room. The core was the only thing inside the room aside from some computers, as Veele rapidly worked at one of the computers, in fact all of them, being a constant blur as she worked.

"How long do we got left?" Aquas was approaching one of the computers, a hand motion telling her to calm down and relax. Tarator muttered something about twenty minutes remaining, as Aquas worked, things powering up and flashing rapidly.

"Sir? What're you doing?" Veele asked, watching the large ball in the center of the room slowly lower towards the ground. "I thought we were trying to shut the core down?"

"We are, but doing it automatically will take too much time, time we don't have. Keep in mind that after we deal with the core we also need to get out of here, and not get caught in the inferno known as the sun…and that'd hurt, a lot." The core was revealed, and Aquas stepped away from the terminal, glancing to Tarator.

"We need something capable of cooling this core off rapidly; a hose or something."

"Why not use you? Can't you fire jets of water from your hands—"

"The _others_ can, I can't; wasn't ever born with that ability. I can't do anything like that-OW!" He was so focused he never realized until too late Menct had bit him, pulling away from his arm after a brief time. "What was that for?! Why bite me—" Down in the Aluneca's hands he saw why, the collar he was given, meant to restrict his abilities.

It was off, which meant Menct could once again use the DNA of others to his advantage.

Already changes happened, Menct's body growing slimmer, as his forearms bulked significantly. For each palm a hole formed, and his chitin became less insectoid and more of a mollusk, even developing webbing on his hands and feet.

He had taken on the biology of an Orishan heavily.

"…that's new." Was all Tarator could say, Aquas covering the wound Menct had made as the Aluneca's hands aimed towards the glowing sphere. Twin jets of blue water spurted from his hands, dousing the core and causing affected areas to turn a phlegm green color, beginning to rapidly fade and power down from its heated power fading rapidly. Menct's biology began to shift back into how it once was, as the water flow came to a stop; the core powered down.

However, as soon as that was done, Tarator was the first to realize something.

"We may want to move _right_ now." Aquas was a tad confused, and understood why, as he heard a low humming noise and the lights begin to dim.

The core powered all the functions for the station, and with it offline every single function came to a close: airlock controls, computer terminals, and above all else, the life support systems.

"In hindsight we really should've seen this coming." Aquas breathed, already running along with the rest of the team…except Veele, she was gone the second things went critical. "How long now?"

"Seven minutes, and large areas of the station are depressurizing as we speak; including a section we need to pass through to get to the Proto-TRUK." True to his words the gravity began to fade steadily, Menct's claws digging into the ground and his speed slowing drastically, Tarator still running normally as his armored leggings came equipped with gravity boots. Aquas on the other hand struggled to keep onto the ground, Menct grabbing him and using the lack of gravity to lunge, landing and continuing to move. The escape ship was right up ahead, and they were nigh out of time.

They didn't need Tarator to tell them that the sun was _right_ ahead.

Tarator hit the inside of the ship, along with Aquas, as Rook powered the ship up and prepared for launch, though with the airlock doors down it took some…creativity to get them open.

Creativity being Menct ripping a big enough hole in the blast doors with his entire body's strength that the depressurization was enough to rip the doors completely open; the ship launching out and Menct grasping onto the side. He was once again exposed to the vacuum of space, holding on for dear life, as the Proto-TRUK flew away from the doomed station, the orbital base flying further and further, and growing smaller and smaller in view before it faded in a light plume, having hit the sun's surface by that time.

"Imagine what'd happen if we were still on there," Aquas' voice resonated through Menct's helmet the Aluneca's claws still grasping the hull as he looked up towards the sun…this system's source of life and felt, in a sense, serene. "We saved a lot of lives today everyone…even if we lost an important training facility."

"The benefits outweigh the costs," Tarator spoke up. "We kept dozens of Plumbers from dying today, and that's what matters."

"Don' worry about it boss, we might even get a promotion for this!"

"Bearing in mind we got in trouble for hanging with Ben last time-Hauntra!"

"I warned ya~"

Menct's head shook as he chittered lightly, looking down to the thing he kept clenched in his claws the entire time; his DNA collar.

In a way he needed it, to keep him restricted and restrained, but now he wondered the possibilities of using the DNA of his companions to save the day. He knew it wasn't something he should've been pondering but it seemed tempting; to be able to call upon the DNA of dozens of aliens in order to save lives.

He wasn't sure if those thoughts were his own…or his natural Alunecan Instinct speaking there…both were telling him the same mantra.

The collar made a hissing noise as Menct clicked it back on. He made a minor promise to himself regarding it and his unstable powers; only use them in moments of dire emergency.

…because when he bit Aquas to get the DNA needed to put the core down…part of him wondered what if he took a little…more…

To Be Continued…

* * *

(And thus, new characters are added in. We're trying to stick somewhat to the Omniverse timeline with these things, and so far hardcore fans should be able to explain what comes next if you've been paying close attention. But for the time I should use a moment to clear some things up readers may or may not be wondering, if not then let these help for the future:

· Menct's head is more like Rek'Sai's as well. And Tarator being able to understand him is a joke that Sotoraggins are nigh impossible to understand, so there's the joke. Another thing about his DNA thing is it was inspired by League of Legends' Kha'Zix character; able to consume creatures and then gain biological abilities from them. As said earlier since Menct is a technical deficient Aluneca he can't permanently hold onto DNA unless he takes large chunks of flesh or blood from a victim; fatal amounts. If not they usually persist, ironically, for around the same duration the Omnitrix can remain active.

· Aquas doesn't have the ability to fire water from his palms, but has the ability to breathe underwater and absorb water through his hands and create bubble shields. The reason being he lacks the muscles in his hands to fire high powered jets of water. So really, he just lacks the muscle capacity.

· Yenth's name is a reference to the Loboan from the original Ben Ten series, someone'd have caught it by now. He's actually on the misfit team because he's shorter than most of his kind and physically weaker; a runt in all sense.

· Veele's name is a reference to Velocity. While most of her kind have a dash in their name she doesn't, and her hands are more humanoid instead of being three giant claws, hence how she's able to hold Plumber weapons and fire them at bad guys.

· Tarator's voice and inspiration come from Overwatch's Reaper character; both being mysterious and both being capable of handling major problems without much injury. So long story short he sounds like Reaper and acts a bit like him as well.

· Hauntra was inspired from, strangely, _Senran Kagura's_ character Katsugari, as both have somewhat depressing origins but make up for it in other ways, like being comic reliefs. They also both have a fascination with the female body and at any chance they get they will molest and grope other women. The difference is for Hauntra it's literally because the females on her world are able to just become intangible and thus she can't grope them, whereas people like Veele and other females can't, so they can't really evade this. If this bothers you then there's nothing I can do; might make future chapters funnier.

· Rubiac isn't _directly_ part of the team, he really just acts as their representative at organized meets and keeps them out of trouble; a wise mentor if you will. So really there's only six members of the team.

Until next time.)


	6. Explaining (Chapter Break)

Sorry if people don't appreciate the sudden break in the story; finals are coming up in my classes and I've been busy studying and then taking said finals and trying to do the best I can to pass.

But for now, since I've had some time to look back on this story, I can say some things now about it and clear up some misconceptions and perhaps even explain some updates to certain characters…think of it like a patch really.

· For a starting point, people may notice we're actually sticking to the Season 2 of Ben Ten Omniverse's timeline, instead of jumbling up things randomly. That's because this story actually isn't meant to go on for at least 50 chapters like most fanfictions under Ben Ten lore but really this story is meant to go to at least about 12-13 chapters…don't quote me on that however but that's the desired length of this. Could be more, could be less.

· If one ones to get realistic they can consider this a separate timeline like Professor Paradox's things; a timeline where Menct is involved in Ben's story enough to actually influence and even change certain events that were meant to happen, such as Ben defeating Looma and instead he did it. More events will be heavily different as well, and some altogether not like the original series.

· Veele _does_ have a major defect, regarding her feet. Unlike the other Kinecelerans, or XLR8's race, she doesn't have the little balls on her feet like the rest do, and thus runs at a slower pace than the rest. This was something I meant to bring up as best I could but I forgot.

· Several aliens in Menct's team are aliens many people don't really know, and that is on purpose, makes them sound more epic considering they're lesser known aliens.

· I honestly don't know how to capture the majority of the major Omniverse characters personality wise, or at least get _every_ detail right, hence why in the previous chapter Rook was mostly silent…didn't watch enough episodes on Youtube to tell me how his personality is. So in later chapters I'll try harder to really get most of the main characters down personality wise, like the leader of the Incurseans or even Vilgax, if and when he appears later on.

· Tarator doesn't directly have a genetic defect like the rest of his team does, he's just not skilled enough to make it like the rest of his kind. So really he's the only one out of the group who could make it on his own, aside from not having any cybernetics like most known Sotoraggins have, like Sixsix or Sevenseven.

· Thanks for the reviews and like this story is getting, drop a fave if you really enjoy it or drop a review asking a question and I'll be happy to answer about the setting and characters.

-MKnightium


	7. First Major Mission

The new members to Epsilon Squad assisted them well, now able to run more complex and difficult missions and handle more dangerous criminals capable of severe harm and yet they never faltered nor surrendered. They were family in this case, brothers and sisters of different races bound together to defend the Plumbers with extreme fervor.

Menct was one of the more determined ones…he still had troubles in the weeks controlling his predatory side and desire to hunt, kill, consume, and worst of all, become. But he had to let reason win out in the end; if he gave in to those desires he'd not only ruin his chances of ever becoming a major Plumber, but he'd also endanger the lives of not only everyone in the HQ, but his friends as well, and perhaps even the entire planet.

After all, a creature that could use the DNA of others as a weapon was something never to truly take lightly…

* * *

"Squad, gather 'round!" Rubiac called out, standing in the Hangars, the entirety of Epsilon Squad standing around him, all attentive…despite prior to meeting with him having obtained some smoothies from Mr. Smoothie for a treat, Yenth being one of the few still noisily drinking his. "Your day's finally come and I can't be prouder."

"What's going on sir? Medals? Awards? Record breaking things?" Aquas asked, setting his own blueberry smoothie down and paying attention, as did most of the team now.

"Magister Tennyson has cleared you six to finally handle harder, more dangerous tasks, ones that go far beyond this solar system's confines and perhaps even beyond."

"Outstanding!" They all cleared in their own ways, even Menct, mandibles clicking rapidly, but Rubiac quieted them by clearing his throat sharply.

"That being said, there's a dispute currently going on as we speak. Who here has read up on the Incurseans lately?" Menct's hand was the only one to go up…he did some research on them considering if it wasn't for them he'd never have become a Plumber in the first place, though they weren't exactly nice about how they got him to Earth. "They're currently on a war path in the further side of the galaxy, trying to conquer planet after planet in a set pattern, something we're not exactly used to them doing."

"They're a buncha frogs sir," Yenth snorted, swallowing his purple grape drink. "Dem being in order ain't a big deal."

"Yenth, the Incurseans working in a path like this means that no doubt in due time Earth'll be another planet they'll target. And a full Incursean War Fleet is something not even the Plumber HQ here will be able to fend off…we'll either be taken prisoner and forced to submit to them or be executed within seconds." Silence washed over them…the situation going from happy and joyous to grave and serious.

"So where are we going for the time being then sir?" Aquas spoke up, Menct knowing he was putting on his 'leader face' again and trying to be serious.

"You're heading out to Hathor, where the Incurseans have enslaved the Splixons by using their natural predators, the Panucian, to subjugate them. You six need to head on out there and try to wrestle control back from the frogs; take out the ones pulling the strings and get things back." Menct felt it was a simple enough mission, as Rubiac stepped back to allow them access to a Plumber ship. "I'll be briefing and keeping tabs on you six here via Communicator. Aquas, bring everyone home safe…Incurseans don't play fair." And with that the hatch slowly closed, the ship roaring to life and taking off, on auto pilot for the time.

"So…Incurseans," Yenth piped up, claws working to hold his Blaster Rifle. "How bad are these guys? And how much of a hold do they got on the planet?"

"A somewhat firm one," Rubiac's voice came through slightly in static via Aquas' Communicator. "Reports say they gained control over the planet a week ago, so at the very least that's not enough time to establish complex base systems. The worst they should have is a flagship somewhere on the planet the Incurseans are operating from and that's it. But I do have something to warn you all." His next words were…unsettling, even for Menct to hear.

"Shoot to kill. Incurseans don't take prisoners and they beyond don't play nice in combat; if you see a chance, you go for the kill, and make sure they don't kill you." The line went dead, as Yenth slumped back in his seat, Menct able to see concern on his face instead of the typical cockiness he had honestly grown used to from his lupine companion.

"We all knew this day would come more or less," Tarator assembled a sniper like weapon, adjusting the scope. "When we'd have to actually _finish_ people…it's for the best, like what happened on the station. There is no other way."

"He's right, our best idea is to move smart and play for keeps; if we fail then more will die to the Incurseans, and they tend to blow planets up with life on it _just_ for fun." Everyone nodded to their leader's words as they worked to gear up, Menct tossing Veele two plasma SMGs for her to use and a Pulse Shotgun for Yenth. They had to show no mercy and get the drop on those frogs.

The other way around meant none of the would go home alive.

But the mood was shifted, the alarms blared, and the ship lurched left.

"What's happening?!" Veele rushed to the controls as Hauntra screamed and panicked. The reptilian girl was able to figure it out in seconds; they were being fired at.

Purple plasma blasts soared past the ship at a rapid pace, everyone bracing for a rough landing.

"We're gon' live through the crash right?!" Yenth shrieked, buckling himself into his seat and holding on for dear life. "RIGHT?!" No one answered because Menct knew the answer was 'highly unlikely' and that if they did crash they'd probably all die.

The ship rapidly began to shake, and then everything went dark.

* * *

"…. s way…they landed over here." Menct's eyes began to focus, as he awoke. He was in some sort of jungle, the sky a deep teal hue and the sun barely beginning to cascade into the horizon to form the darkness of night. Dark grey clouds hung in the sky, as a steady downpour rained down on the forest, giving it a sense of darkness and dread…one that wasn't common at all on Earth, mostly due to the invasion present now. Menct rolled to a sitting position, and placed his hand on the ground.

…

…

…

…rhythmic steps, as if those who were moving were marching together. Incurseans, about six or seven judging from the vibrations. He stood and glanced about. His team was missing, absent more or less…they couldn't have been taken or killed.

Menct had to focus for the time being, there was no time to ponder where they went. He kicked off the ground and landed in the treetop canopy, seeing Incurseans below, one of the frogs kneeling down and holding a device to the ship's crash site, scanning it.

"Lieutenant Crogunk, there were Plumbers here earlier, report pending on the count there's a chance they survived."

"Just show some caution," Menct's helmet intercepted the transmission, hearing a deep, bass voice speak on the other line. "No telling which Plumbers they sent here…further the workings on the perimeter, expand them as fast as you can."

"Yes Lieutenant Crogunk, decorated leader of the distinguished Extincius Legion."

"…don' need to say it _every_ time…but good job though, you might get a promotion if you bring me a Plumber's badge." The frogs began to walk away, save for the last one.

He made the error of lagging behind the rest out of fatigue, and Menct's clawed hand grasped his head and yanked him up, a messy crunch from the Aluneca's maw being what was needed to end his life, his purple blood trickling onto the ground in light drops; the rain masking and concealing them. His corpse never hit the ground, as Menct felt the new DNA in his system…nothing useful save for high leaping and that meant he'd be shot down or targeted by whatever shot down the ship, but he did take the Incursean Blaster, hanging from a branch with one arm and firing rapidly.

Six bodies hit the ground. Not one of the frogs survived, as Menct dropped down and pat the ground again.

…

…

…

…no more footsteps nearby, nothing was close enough to draw his focus.

"…t…pt…come…n…Menct…" Aquas! He tapped the side of his helmet, opening the COM and trying to answer back, really doing so the best way he could.

A sharp, violent sounding screeching noise.

"Menct! Holy crap…I thought you were done for back there! Look, we all had to split up when the crash happened, we're trying to rendezvous at a cave a good while from the crash site; it's the only location the Incurseans aren't actively checking as we speak. Get there fast, we have a situation." Menct had tunneled underground, moving underneath it as he uttered a confused grunt noise at the last part.

"Yenth got banged up real bad in the crash, and Tarator sustained damages when an Incursean soldier spotted us trying to get the wolf out of the ship. Yenth's stable now, just some burns on his stomach and Tarator's helmet's a bit dinged up; we got lucky with this fall."

"What…we…do…?"

"Not sure, if you mean to get home we're close to being outta luck; when it hit the fan I tried to get a signal from Rubiac but nothing went through, and a moment later a party nearly found me. I'm guessing they can track planet to planet signals…it's just us until we can figure a way to solve this." Menct could literally _feel_ the dread and sorrow coming from his leader when he spoke, this really was a grim situation and they nigh lacked a way to solve it.

Still, hope didn't seem lost yet.

* * *

"You made it here safe Menct? No one tailing you?" Aquas asked, the Aluneca reaching the cave he was told about. It was clear he'd been in a few scraps, as plasma burns seared his shoulders and torso armor…and he held several Incursean Blasters as well, enough for everyone to get one. "…I'll take that as a yes, you've been busy I can see Menct." He nodded rapidly, as he stepped inside the cave to see how his team was holding up.

The word was far from good. Hauntra was resting against the wall, rocking back and forth in a fetal position, obviously freaked out her sensible mind, as Tarator stood at the cave's mouth, watching and waiting.

A large crack was visible along the left side, exposing one of his deep, red and black eyes.

Veele was crouched down next to Yenth, working with a med kit she snagged from the ship, working to keep him stable as the Loboan rested against the wall as well, silent…pained for the time.

"I'm glad nothing happened to you Menct," Aquas' gaze was on the group, utter sorrow lining his nigh unreadable face. "I tried to get you outta there with me but you're not exactly light in weight…the best I could do was draw some attention so they didn't just shoot you while you were downed."

"How…team…?"

"Hauntra's having a mental breakdown; apparently in the simulations they never covered how to cope with being stranded in the midst of hostile territory. We tried to snap her out of it but nothings worked. Tarator's fine just with some of his helmet damaged he can't see properly. Yenth's holding up but it might be a bit before he can actually move around again." Menct had to think…the easiest one to snap to focus was Hauntra, but how…

He had to use all his memories and knowledge on her to find the solution…and it came faster than anticipated.

"Menct? What are you doing?" Veele was perplexed when the Aluneca picked her up and set her down in front of Hauntra, grasping the Ectonurite-hybrid's hand and moving it to set it down on the one place none expected in such a dire moment.

Veele's chest.

He kept her hand there for a good few moments as the maddened babbles slowly stopped and went silent, as her hand squeezed a few times, Veele deadpanning when she realized she was just being groped at that point. Hauntra's head lifted, and the dread and fear she wore earlier faded, being replaced by her jaded joy and jubilation.

"I almost forgot how good this felt~" Her hands kept squeezing as she wore her trademark grin, Aquas stepping over and just chuckling, looking to Menct.

"I'm astonished I never thought of that? Now what about Yenth, any way to get him up and agile?" Menct's claw rested on his chin, and he approached the Loboan, kneeling down and pulling something from the inside of his gauntlet, something that made the wolf's darkened eyes light up again.

A coupon to Mr. Smoothie's, for a free deluxe smoothie, chili cheese fries, and a sundae, all for free.

"Gimme!" Yenth shot up for it, wincing in pain as his pained side kicked in, as Menct moved his hand further away, standing up.

"We…get…home…you…may…have…"

"Well _that's_ some good incentive…never had those fries but dang they sound delicious!" He stood up slowly, pressing his hand to the wall to steady himself as his chest rose and fell, doing his best to fight off the pain he had, muttering something about needing painkillers.

"The whole team's ready to go…amazing." The team leader clasped his hands together, but soon his tone shifted from relieved to stoic once more. "Regardless, we need to fulfill our objective and wrestle control from the Incurseans of Hathor; what's the report so far, Tarator?"

"From the COMs I was able to intercept using my suit," He knelt down, tapping some buttons on his forearm as a strange map was displayed of the local area, showing several lit up spots. "The frogs have set up several Anti-Aircraft turrets on raised areas along the planet's surface in a condensed area. In total there are about seven established along the planet, all set to home in and fire on anything that's not Incursean and blow it out the sky."

"Troubling news, and how can we destroy these guns?"

"Blowing them up would raise severe attention and they'd surround that area in seconds. But…if we cut the power to each gun it'll raise little to no attention aside from some confusion."

"Good, do you have any means to accomplish that?" He answered that question by lifting his left hand and for the metal to shift, an energy buzz saw whirring and flickering with blinding pink light. "…point taken, try to get on that and leave no witnesses."

"Understood sir," And with that Tarator was gone, jets flaring to life as he flew off.

"What about us sir?" Veele asked, doing her best to ignore Hauntra still cupping and pawing at her chest. "What's our orders?" Aquas first looked towards Yenth, and simply asked if he could walk off the pain. At the Loboan's nod he explained his ploy.

"Veele, you and Hauntra will be with us until a certain point; I need you to try and get a signal offworld, so we can contact Rubiac for assistance and probably even call for backup."

"But didn't you _just_ say they'll track our position of we do that— "

"Not if it's from an Incursean ship. The Plumbers'll get the signal and answer regardless, and Hauntra can force one of the guards to put the channel on an untraceable network; that way even if they do see there's an unknown message being transmitted when they locate it they'll assume it was an Incursean probably slacking off on his job and calling a buddy." They were gone after that, leaving only Aquas, Yenth, and lastly Menct.

"And whatta 'bout us, sir? What're we doin'?"

"The hard part," Aquas said, looking out at the torrential downpour outside the cave. "The Incurseans won't fight without a commanding officer on the field, and even then they can be negotiated with if said leader is indisposed. On this planet there's someone called Lieutenant Crogunk, seemingly a higher one in the military; if we can get to him and force a surrender from him then we can force the frogs to vacate the planet."

"And if that don' work? These frogs don't seem to be the very nice and understanding type."

"Detonate the flagship via overloading its engines. Destroy it and they'll all scramble and evacuate without anyone to take orders from. So the choices are they peacefully withdraw, or we destroy something they hold near and dear." Menct realized Aquas was playing serious now, something he had to respect. "But for added insurance, I have a backup plan…"

* * *

Menct tunneled up from the ground, looking about, as Aquas and Yenth emerged from the hole he had created in the slick, cold mud with him. They were at a forest's edge, and several meters ahead was the thing Aquas had spoken of; the Incursean Flagship. The massive ship was mostly box-like, with purple and green metal making up the majority of it with yellow trimmings, and at the front of it was a large cannon like protrusion…something meant for obliterating planets.

"That's where this guy's hiding; we need to sneak inside and subdue him." Aquas clicked the safety off his stolen Incursean Blaster, moving forward a tad to roll into some bushes. Yenth followed slowly as well, and Menct dug back underground, the only visible thing of him being his fin now…like shark in dangerous waters. The Aluneca approached two frogs from below and didn't even give them time to scream; his claws had already grabbed their feet and dragged them below ground…and dispatched them, the Aluneca rising out and looking towards the unguarded door now, hearing Yenth and Aquas approach.

"There a way inside?" Yenth asked, Menct approaching the door and looking over it…seemed to operate on a biological scanner function…which meant…

His hand pressed against it, and after a few silent seconds a positive **_ping_** noise resonated, the door sliding open moments later.

"Holy crap, Menct how'd you do that?" He just shrugged in response and aimed his Blaster inside, taking point.

Really, the reason was because due to having bite and nigh ate several Incurseans he gained enough temporary DNA to fool biological scanners…though he doubted it'd work a second time.

"Okay, you all ready?" That confused Menct, the Aluneca turning to Aquas, seeing his reach for his Communicator and bring it to his mouth area. "Tarator, where are you now?"

"At the last Anti-Air gun, the frogs guarding it were…not hard to dispose of, so to speak. Change of orders?"

"How many Plasma Bombs do you have left?"

"Enough…let me guess…"

"Blow that one up; Menct, Yenth and I are inside the flagship and already we can hear steady Incursean presence about it. With that gun exploding in a messy fashion it should divert a good portion out there to go find the cause…but that does put us at risk it's nothing we can't handle."

"Understood, I'll begin sticking the bombs at the power cores and jamming the firing mechanisms, but I do have another idea, if you're open to suggestions."

"I'm all ears…so to speak."

"I know how to fire this Anti Air Gun, blame it on my habit of studying things, and I could probably _really_ disturb them by shooting down their own ships and even do some critical damage to the flagship you're on…keep it from being flight capable in case a full retreat is called."

"That's a good idea soldier…but tell me the bad news."

"Might make them _unreasonably_ paranoid and security might go further."

"Do it, we'll head for the one calling the shots and take him down," He tapped the Communicator, as Menct kept his ear out for any sign of trouble…he thought he heard some Incurseans approaching a second ago. "Veele, what about you two?"

"Hauntra and I got a message out to Plumber HQ a moment ago, in about an hour we'll have some backup arrive but not a lot, just enough to play clean up."

"It's better than us being stranded here, head out and rendezvous with Tarator and help him accomplish his objective. We'll work over here to accomplish our own objective." He cut the line and began to walk, Menct following him as did Yenth.

"So boss," The Loboan asked, patting his side and wincing slightly from the lingering ache there. "What'll make this guy surrender if we get to 'em? Beat him down? Hold a gun to his head?"

"Both, we need to do whatever it takes to force a surrender from him; we kill him and the Emperor will just promote another one to the job and he'll be another problem. Stop here." The three of them stopped, as Aquas looked up, towards the ceiling. "He's above us now."

"Holy crap that's some good insight there man."

"No, just I know an Incursean Flagship has a Throne Room in its center, and based on the lay of the vessel we're officially several stories below it."

"So…how do we get there?" Aquas glanced up to Menct…and the Aluneca got the idea, rubbing his chin. So he was needed to literally dig straight up to reach the Throne Room now…seemed impossible.

But that fight against Looma said otherwise.

Menct rolled his shoulders and pressed a button on each gauntlet, those green energy blades making their return as he slashed one against the ceiling, as a test.

A deep slash was present, it'd work.

His arms flew in a flurry of blurs, carving and cleaving the ceiling apart until a hole broke through, the three of them leaping upwards and ending up in another hallway, Menct repeating the process again.

While it was time consuming and slightly painful to his arms, it was the best way to get up there and finish this mission.

* * *

"We're right below the room now…Menct you okay?" His arms burned from exhaustion but none the less he was refusing to stop, as he was already slashing at the ceiling, ignoring the purple blasts impacting the wall and ground near him from the Incurseans down the hall open firing at him, Yenth returning fire as best he could. Finally, the ceiling caved in, and he could hear worried shouts. Menct was through first, leaping up and open firing, several Incurseans hitting the floor as only one remained, one dressed differently from the others.

Where they wore black suits this one wore a red one with ornate orange armor along its back and forearms. He was standing firm against Menct, Blaster aimed high and ready to fire at him.

He was only able to shoot once before Menct crossed the distance, hand around his neck and pinning him to the wall. Menct was in horrid pain now, as his free hand clutched his stomach, where the shot had burned the chitin there, but he tuned it out as best he could, hearing Aquas leap out the hole and approach, Yenth following as well.

"In accordance with Plumber Rules and Regulations," Aquas flashed his badge, shaking off the fatigue from the mission. "You are under arrest, now order a retreat from your forces here or suffer the consequences."

"And just why would I do that?!" Aquas hand just lifted, counting down. Every few seconds one of his fingers would go down, and then another, and then another.

The worst part was, not even Menct knew why, until a violent rock of the ship made them all realize Tarator was open firing at the Flagship now!

"Surrender or this entire ship will be destroyed, with you on it."

"But that's insane! You'll destroy yourselves too!"

"And that worries me how? A Plumber will do whatever it takes to ensure the peace. No. Matter. _What._ " Menct could see the fear in the frog's eyes, and the determination in his leader's eyes.

…would he have actually had them all blown up? Menct doubted it, he was probably bluffing to make the frog scared, and thankfully it worked.

"A-Alright! I'll pull back the forces from Hathor! J-J-Just please don't kill me!"

"See? Was that so hard? Menct, go ahead and drop him… _gently_." The way he said gently meant anything but; the Aluneca lifting and them smashing the Incursean onto the ground as hard as physically possible, knocking him out from the sheer force of the impact.

And like that, the battle for Hathor came to a close, with its population safe…and Menct collapsed on the ground, a mix of fatigue and wounding finally overcoming him.

* * *

"…nt…Menct? You okay?" The Aluneca came to on his side, armor less, on a white metal table. His team was gathered around, and they were in a small ship of some sort, no doubt heading back home after a job well done. He could already see some bandages covering his chest, arms, forearms, and stomach from where'd he been shot multiple times. He nodded to the question asked, rising to a sitting position and trying to wake himself up properly.

"We got things fixed Menct," Aquas said, everyone moving to go take their seats as his leader spoke. "But we received intel that Hathor was just the start of something bigger than we've ever imagined. It's not like the Incurseans to begin attacking planets closer to Earth; I doubt it's just rare luck." Even in victory they still lost it seemed…if this was the prelude to a full scale invasion then it might take every Plumber in the galaxy to fight it off.

Menct had the feeling something of that size would do more than just be a threat to the entire galaxy…it could gain the attention of his own kind.

…then things would really get bad. Extinction of all life bad.


	8. The Princess

_Failure…_

 _Outcast…_

 _You'll never amount to anything you half breed scum!_

Menct's claw smashed into the wall, the Aluneca rising sharply and clutching his chest with his other claw. Another nightmare…those never seemed to end. The alien glanced around; he was in the Plumber Med-Bay; he remembered he had been stuck there following taking a shot from an Incursean Blaster head on. His hand moved down to touched the seared chitin…he had to be more careful. Being reckless would just guarantee that he'd be one of the many Plumbers to never come home from a fight.

The door slid open, and Aquas was there, holding a Smoothie in his hand.

"Good, you're up Menct." He said, stepping in and revealing he was holding a second cup; offering the Aluneca it, with Menct ripping the top off and downing the contents in less than a minute.

Grasshopper…it always tasted amazing.

"The doctors said you'd be out for at least a week but here you are; as healthy as can be." The Aluneca rapidly nodded, he was always strong enough to keep going.

"Ttttttiiiiiimmmmmmeeeeee?"

"…the time? It's around 6:34 AM; we have a meeting with Magister Tennyson scheduled for 7:30 AM though so…you should get up soon and try to make sure you're okay. It seems important." Menct rubbed his eyeless head, trying to think. What could the nice old man want with him? It was probably important, so thus the Aluneca stood and dressed himself in his armor, having to lack some of the suit so the sleeves were absent for his armor. Once he slipped his helmet on he felt his hearing stabilize and his eyesight increase, the HUD powering up and highlighting everything in the room for him. He looked down to tap his gauntlets to ensure they worked; Aquas had already left the room to no doubt go awaken the others. He calmed down and thought about things. So much has happened already ever since he became a Plumber…it was a tad staggering, all things considered. But, he had to keep going; things would only get harder from here on out, and he wanted to be the best Plumber he could ever be.

And to prove every single Aluneca wrong who doubted him was a good silver lining as well.

* * *

"Squad, you all handled that operation with the Incurseans very well." Max Tennyson addressed Menct and his group, with Ben standing alongside his grandfather. "Due to this I'm giving you six a harder assignment; which of you knows of the planet known as Peptos XII?"

"The home of the Gourmands," Tarator spoke up, turning to the others. "The little ones who eat seven times their weight."

"Exactly, Tarator. We have a situation there. The Incurseans are still going with their apparent campaign, and that world is currently under siege. We need you six to head out there and take the frogs out to push their campaign path back; otherwise they'll keep going until they get a hold on Earth. Ben and Rook will be meeting you all there; I'm just sending my grandson ahead of time just in case."

"Understood, Magister Tennyson." Aquas saluted, to which Max saluted back, a major sign of respect.

"At ease; use the time you have now to prepare for the mission; I've given you all clearance for stronger Plumber weapons for this. Considering the Incurseans have had time to settle in on Peptos XII we can best believe they'll be rooted in more than Hathor." The others turned to leave, but Menct was stopped; Max placing a hand on the alien's large shoulder.

"Aquas filled me in on your actions on Hathor. If it weren't for you the entire operation would've been a failure and we'd have lost six good Plumbers. You've exceeded all my expectations and I'm proud to call you a soldier, Menct." The old man wore a calm yet warm smile. "When this is all over and the Incurseans are pushed back enough for us not to worry you can best expect to get a good promotion; maybe even be a legend like Ben." Menct nodded rapidly, and was gone as well, though Max could tell Azmuth was present as well; the Galvan standing atop a small console in the back of the room.

"You should tell him you know he's been eating the Incurseans." He spoke, clearly worried. "We're letting him feed that instinct of his; the one that'll one day make him snap and kill his own friends."

"We don't know that yet Azmuth; Menct puts himself on the line every day to help his friends…he won't kill them."

"Maxwell you know more than I do you can't deny nor suppress that instinct of his. His people are a ravenous plague to their own galaxy, and anything that lives fears being devoured by them! Menct may be considered a lower class creature, but considering he's nearly feral the odds of him being pushed to that point are much higher." The Galvan sighed, rubbing his small face.

"If and when the time comes…do not hesitate. He could grow to become more fearsome and dangerous than even the likes of Vilgax." And with that Azmuth was gone, leaving Max to consider the possibilities…and the cons, of leaving Menct as a Plumber.

And the threat he posed to nearly the entire universe.

* * *

"So, the old man kinda likes us, don' he?" Yenth checked the holographic sights on his P-Blaster, hearing the hum of the gun power up. "He's givin' us this mission to take out the frogs again."

"The other Plumbers are either busy, or we really are being considered for harder missions." Tarator confirmed, holding a sniper like weapon, while making sure a small SMG like blaster was holstered on his lower back. "But, this is all the more reason we need to focus and try to make sure we know what we're doing. They have a firm hold here but at least now the Gourmands could be of valuable assistance to us."

"Do ya think their queen's hot?" Hauntra was already fantasizing to herself, holstering her twin plasma handguns. "I hope she is."

"Evidence suggests…no." Veele spoke, lifting her own blaster rifle, checking her sights. "But we need to make sure she's okay; this mission depends on it."

"Veele's right, so right now let's make a battle plan." Aquas spoke, tossing Menct his own laser based rifle, the mollusk standing up. "So we're gonna have to split into teams once we assess the situation. For now let's -" The ship violently lurched to the side, they were coming in hot!

"Okay nevermind, everyone brace for impact!"

"Shit not again!" Yenth clung to the wall, paranoid and terrified, though Veele did her best to steady and calm him down.

"Hey! Get a hold of yourself! We're gonna be okay! We are _not_ gonna die! We're gonna accomplish this mission, go home, and get some smoothies; okay?!"

"…why is it hot when you talk to me like that?" Menct just…tuned out from the conversation; shaking his head and getting a steady footing; it was gonna be a hard drop. The back of the ship opened up and Menct was the first one out; HUD dimming to adjust to the bright light.

The planet's surface looked pretty…lackluster; just a pinkish tone with some weird items around. However he mad to shift focus; he could see several dozen Incurseans attacking and firing at the small Gourmands; it'd be a slaughter if he didn't hurry.

"Everyone go!" Aquas shouted, Menct diving out and landing on the ground with a heavy thud; aiming his blaster and taking out one of the frogs in a messy display. The rest of the team dropped out and open fired, taking down several of the Incurseans as quickly as they could.

"Tarator! Get up to that Cliffside via jet and give us some covering fire! Hauntra, I need you and Menct to head towards the Gourmand front; keep them covered! Yenth and Veele; with me!" The team scattered in moments; Menct ripping through the pliable earth with his claws and tunneling; Hauntra diving right in after him. His fin poked up as he dug, using his much faster speed to literally dig right past the attacking Incurseans and to get close enough to burst from the ground; firing at several of them and taking them down, Hauntra following suit.

"Holy crap this is fun! Handguns are amazing~" Menct was…somewhat happy Hauntra found a new passion. None the less they managed to push the invading Incuseans back a decent amount; enough for them to seemingly withdraw.

"Menct, how are things on your end?" The Aluneca let out a rapid series of chittering noises. "…gonna assume that's a positive sound."

"Yyyyyyeeeessss."

"Oh okay, much clearer. Anyhow Ben Tennyson's landed with his companion; we're gonna be proceeding towards the Gourmands meeting area; really I'm not too sure with these aliens."

"Rrrrrooooddddggger." He tapped his helmet and glanced to Hauntra, making a sharp click sound to get her attention.

"Huh? Oh it's already over? I was just gettin' warmed up!"

He just shook his head…sometimes he could never get a good read on that girl.

* * *

"So, what's the deal?" Yenth asked, the six of them standing outside the meeting grounds for the gluttonous aliens. "What happened?" Aquas sighed, and motioned lightly to the light infrastructure where the meeting was still going on.

"Based on what I was able to pick up when I went up there along with Ben Tennyson, the queen has been kidnapped by the Incurseans. They may be trying to extort a surrender from her and solidify a foothold for them to move towards Earth. So far some of them are advocating to remain here and defend the planet from the next wave of Incursean forces, whereas some are saying a campaign should be led to help the queen escape." That was concerning, Veele glancing around before finally asking.

"So what's our next move then sir?"

"A split; Menct, Yenth and Hauntra will be joining the Gourmands and Ben to go free the queen, whereas Veele, Tarator, and myself will be remaining here and helping push back the frogs along with Rook. Not sure how much ammo we have left but we should have just enough to push them back for a brief time." Aquas sighed. "But that obviously means you need to hurry in there and free the queen. The longer it takes, the more likely we'll be overwhelmed." Menct had to think…that was a radical plan. The odds of failure were actually much higher than success…and Tarator was the first to voice this.

"This plan seems borderline senile; why not have us all go to get the queen, or all stay to defend? Splitting the team up halves out combat effectiveness and leaves us open to mistakes."

"Tarator, these Gourmands only have a small division capable of fighting; of said division the vast majority are going to go get the queen." Aquas gestured again towards the meeting grounds. "They _have_ no front lines; we all go to get the queen they'll be overtaken in moments. If we all stay to defend the team may not succeed in their mission. A tactical split is the literal only way we can ensure a successful mission."

"Iiiii gooooooo." Menct finally spoke, catching everyone by surprise. He was advocating to go alone with the team…a dangerous idea. "Iiiii…sssstttrrrronnnggg."

"Menct, what happened on Hathor I'm trying to prevent. You suffered critical injuries on that world and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you get hurt or worse up there-"

"I can go with 'im." Hauntra spoke up, Menct having not noticed she floated up and planted herself on his upper back, legs dangling over his shoulders. "Besides from how you worded it, if we leave these guys're toast. Menct and I can handle going up there; you guys can keep this place locked down tighter than that one girl's pants in Undertown."

"…what?" She completely ignored Yenth. Aquas rubbed his chin, and finally sighed.

"So be it; you two go head off with Ben in his craft. The rest of us will defend these grounds as best we can. Going on an estimate I'd say in two hours we will run out of shots…and then things go south." Menct nodded and started walking, Hauntra still resting on his shoulders, her handguns ready.

"Just you and me now Mencty Menct; we're gonna blow some frogs up!" Hauntra's enthusiasm to embark on a dangerous mission was…harrowing. But Menct still had the deep feeling that where he was going now was a big risk.

Though the Aluneca had to be brave…he had to be strong to help his friends.

* * *

"Alright, you all good to go?" Ben asked, the Proto-TRUK hovering right below the Incursean flagship the queen had to be trapped inside of. The hatch opened after a brief delay and Menct leapt out, many of the Gourmands…following via burping in the vacuum of space.

Their biology weirded him out.

"How do they even do that?" Hauntra asked, her head encased in a Plumber Helmet, though aside from that her armor remained unchanged; the ghostly girl still clinging to Menct's back. "Ain't there no air in space?"

"They tend to do that," Ben admitted, currently in his Big Chill form, judging from the wispy breath. "It bugs me too…heh…you get it right, Menct?" The Aluneca just shrugged…he was densely a reptile anyhow. None the less via a few metals torn and some doors ripped open and the small ragtag team managed to get inside.

"Now we need to show caution," Ben spoke, glancing to both the Gourmands and the two Plumbers. "If the Incurseans know we're trying to spring the queen, they might take her…y'know, _out_." Muffled gasps swept through the crowd. Really Menct was just confused as to why saying the word kill was so hard for him…it was an essential thing when dealing with the Incurseans known for killing anyone who dared to get in their way. The group advanced forward, with Menct and Hauntra lagging behind to keep an eye out for any frogs missed.

"So Menct," He heard the pale girl ask him, looking down to her. "I always wanted to know…why can't you talk?" He was silent briefly, trying to communicate a way to tell her why.

Eventually he pulled his helmet off, and despite the bright flash to his eyes from the ambient light he tapped his mandible, his tongue finally lolling out and exposing itself.

It was clear that he really _couldn't_ talk normally; the words he made came from his throat rumbling and somewhat repeating words he heard in the past…although in a very gnarled and gritty tone.

"…oh so there's your tongue!" Hauntra completely forgot her question and was now more focused on Menct's tongue. Really there wasn't anything odd about it; aside from it being longer than his head, forked at the tip, and overall fairly wide.

When no one was looking, he honestly used it to snatch food and drag it over to his maw.

However he had to focus when he heard plasma fire; the Incurseans knew where they were. He slid his helmet back on, took up arms, and open fired; Haunta doing the same after jumping back up on his shoulders for the perfect vantage point.

There was no mercy to be shown for the frogs; there was no other way, though thankfully after another few brief skirmishes they reached a large metal room, where the queen remained, Menct being the first to shoot the two Incurseans guarding her.

"Oh so _that's_ what she looks like." Hauntra said, standing there with her arms crossed and face scrunched up in thought. "…tch…yeah I'm not groping that." Menct just…didn't even know where to begin with her; however, when he heard the doors slide open more Incurseans stepped in, taking aim at the group, even as Ben's Omnitrix powered down.

"Ben, it's been such a long time." The frog who emerged now was…obviously different; clad in what Menct identified as a purple and white flight suit, along with a long scarf. She was by no means tall; if anything, she only came up to the Aluneca's chest in height, but she had an aura of…fear around her; as if anyone who dared defy her would earn a quick grave. A slow smile spread on her face at the fear the Gourmands had, her own Incursean blaster lifting and taking aim at the queen.

"Attea…you aged pretty well trapped in that stasis pod." Ben chided, whereas Hauntra merely grinned eerily, fingers wiggling.

"Ooo, now _that_ one I wanna grope~" The Aluneca merely pushed her back with his tail…he knew who she was and he knew why she was here.

She was not going to silence the queen; that much Menct had set in stone.

"Huh, never thought the Plumbers would be desperate enough to draft a dang Aluneca to help 'em; especially one of those unstable half breed ones." Menct's mandibles clicked in anger, Hauntra picking up on his distress and stepping in front of him, trying to stop him from lunging and getting himself shot.

"H-Hey big guy; don't blow a fuse. She's just some dumb frog-AHH!" Hauntra let out a choked yell when she was shot directly in the leg, collapsing to the ground at Menct's feet.

And all at once he exploded. In a mere moment he crossed the room, the Incurseans firing and shooting at him but to no avail; his arm sweeping left and sending several to the wall, another being grabbed and torn in half. Attea herself didn't flee or run from Menct when he started to attack; if anything she just wore an expression of boredom.

"Oh, you killed some foot soldiers; we got about six million more at home." When his claw shot at her she jerked left, jamming her palm into his side and making him stagger a bit, heel crossing and striking his head. "But me? You'll never even get close to beating me, freak-" She had been so caught up in gloating she didn't even know Menct's tail had lashed out and tripped her.

"SSaaaavvve…the qqqquuueeeennn!" He roared to Ben, the teen finally nodding and shifting to Spidermonkey; easily picking the Gourmand queen up and rushing off with the others. Attea had tried to get up and fire another shot but Menct's hand clamped down on her gun, crushing it into splinters before he sent her flying via a sharp back hand.

"I take back what I said," She muttered, her grin remaining despite everything. "You seem to have some skill on you…shame I gotta kill ya—" He didn't even give her any time to speak more; he rushed back to pick Hauntra up, initially shielding her from the storm of plasma shots from the remaining Incursean solders before he rushed off; trying to find his way back to the others and escape the vessel together.

"Menct?! Menct report in!" Hauntra's hand wearily lifted, mashing down on the side of her helmet.

"Hey boss, M-Menct's sorta…busy…keepin' us from dying in here. I got hit but I-I'll live." Menct rounded a corner, more plasma fire pelting his armored back from the Incurseans. "H-How about you guys?"

"Not good; we're running out of ammo and the frogs aren't letting up; we're scavenging their Incursean Blasters and seeing if we can use them to our advantage but so far we're having a hard time getting to the damned guns. Scrap the operation if you must; I'm not losing any of my friends."

"Don' worry…we got the queen; that Ben guy's got her movin' towards his ship. Menct and I just stayed behind when…Attea came for us."

"Princess Attea? Shit this escalated far more than we thought if the Emperor's sending his own kid to take a planet; the invasion must really be close to happening as the others feared. Keep moving, get to that ship, and get down here so we can evacuate if things go south…our real job was ensuring this planet was secure. We're not gonna fight her directly." Menct reached the airlock where the others were all located.

"You guys lost bug breath yet?" Menct nodded, and propped Hauntra against the wall, Ben's face turning to a grimace when he saw her and the severe burn on her leg. "Oh…yeah that's…that's not good."

"I had worse…glad I'm…somewhat Ectonurite; so, it'll take a lot more than just…this to take me out. All I need is some time and I'll be good as new." Even as she said that her burns began to recede and her pale flesh regenerated; in a few hours, it'd be hard to tell she even got shot in the first place.

"Then allow me to finish the job," Menct turned sharply and took a plasma shot right to the shoulder; hissing in fury and agony when the blast seared his chitin. Attea stood there, wearing a confident, smug grin, as several Incursean troops filed into the room; her gun leveling with the Gourmand Queen's head.

"Now either stand down, or she dies." She calmly spoke…Ben literally not having any ideas to deal with this.

Menct did; though suicidal it was still there.

His helmet clattered to the ground, maw opening to bite a nearby Gourmand, despite his protests and cries of pain. Ben was perplexed but Attea wasn't; her gun moving to aim at Menct in a second.

The reason being? In a matter of moments Menct's form changed; chitin gaining a green tint to it as he ripped metal from the wall, even as the injuries he sustained earlier rapidly healed from the induction of new DNA to his form; rapidly wolfing it down before he spat globs of green energy right for Attea; knocking her to the ground.

"Ggggoooo!" He roared, ripping up more metal to eat to repeat the process, actually managing to push the princess and her goons a fair margin, but not before a stray plasma blast impacted the control panel for the airlock…and Menct merely sighed; shooting to grab his helmet before the door opened. He managed to grab Hauntra and tap her head, her own helmet reaching up to enclose around her head before both fell back; the freezing cold vacuum of space welcoming him again before he hit the hull of the Proto-TRUK.

"H-Hey Menct…did we make it? Did we lose that…bitch?" She was obviously disoriented from the sudden yank and being pulled out the airlock.

"Yyyyeeeesssss…." He kept a firm hold on the ship, unaware a visitor was clinging to it as well.

* * *

"Tarator; how're we looking on munitions?" Aquas asked, popping out of his rocky cover to open fire at an Incursean; taking him down. The Sotoraggian shook his head, leveling his own blaster and taking down two frogs in quick succession.

"We're running low; Yenth's been hit in the side, and Veele's doing what she can to treat his injuries. Many of the Gourmands have either pulled back or aren't really here to keep fighting." That was a hammer to the mollusk…they were essentially the only ones holding the front down. "Sir, we need to make a tactical withdraw…we can't afford to hold this positon without suffering losses of our own."

"We can't pull back until Menct and Hauntra return with Ben. If we go back, they'll be amid hostile territory and be unable to fight their way out. This is for them; I'll be damned if I'm leaving my friends behind."

Aquas silently prayed Menct would hurry up…at this point it was either retreat…or dying.

* * *

"Alright, we're gonna make it, we're approaching the planet now." Ben announced happily, as the Proto-TRUK rapidly flew down to the planet's surface…however when the hatch opened Menct was the first to take damage; holding his damaged leg as he glared at Attea.

"Miss me?" She fired again, Menct lifting his arm and extending his energy blades; reflecting the shot and sending it to the side. Hauntra reached up to grasp her own blasters, open firing at the frog and wincing when she dodged every single shot; approaching rapidly and giving the ghost a sharp round house kick to the head.

"Jeez that smarts…" She muttered, shaking her head and rapidly trying to gather her bearings while Menct shoved the frog back. He had no real choice, turning his head briefly to Ben.

"Oppppeeeennnn hattttcccchhhh!" Though hesitant, the teen hero did as asked; the hatch opening and the rush of air being the first thing everyone felt. Menct snarled, and did rushed forward; Attea bounding over his head barely in avoidance, his hand catching her leg and taking them both out the hatch. She managed to barely catch onto the edge, holding on for dear life, while Menct did what he could to yank and force her into a free fall.

He could survive the fall…perhaps; but he was not sure about her in the slightest.

"Boys, help our buggy friend!" He heard the queen command, and in a flash he saw the Gourmands ripping pieces of the Proto-TRUK's interior hull off, wolfing it down and upchucking it. The green tinted blasts impacted the ground, and caused the frog princess to let go; Menct shifting all his weight downwards and forcing them both into a free fall. He toned out her furious screams, trying frantically to get Menct to let go of her, but he did no such thing; mandibles closing and his head shifting to look at the rapidly approaching ground. He gripped her leg tighter before he yanked, pulling her to his chest and grasping before he hit the ground; the resulting smash being enough to critical damage his armor and chitin…but keep her alive.

While she was his foe, yes…he knew that letting her die would be the greater threat. Pain resonated throughout Menct's entire body; HUD offline and rapidly trying to reboot itself, as he let go of Attea…the impact was enough to render her unconscious. He stood up, HUD coming online in a static mess and rewarding him the sight of his bare arm; purple blood trickling down to drip onto the ground in messy patters.

His entire left arm was broken…both the chitin and the bones inside. Much of his armor clattered and fell off his body; Menct gradually ascending from the crater he created, each piece of armor falling until he reached the top, clad in only his pants, greaves, helmet, and right gauntlet. He could see Incurseans surrounding him, all taking aim and shouting orders to one another. Menct felt the snaps of pain, his bones converging and his chitin remaining scarred and bruised…he could at least use his arm.

His claws balled into blocky fists, and his mandibles rapidly clicked. He had no idea if and when the others would find him…he had to fight until then.

His fist shot out and crashed into an Incursean's head, sending the frog to the floor. They all open fired moments later; Menct grabbing another one and smashing him into the floor as a blast of plasma impacted his arm, the chitin burning but he ignored it. His claw raked across another one's skull before he crushed one underfoot; picking up a blaster and open firing. He managed to take down another six before pain exploded across his front. He reached his hand down to feel the gritty feel of his own blood…he was running out of time. None the less, he kept fighting; kept shooting.

He could hear the whirl and the hums of the Incursean ships retreating...he could even hear one land right behind him; two soldiers rushing into the crater to pull the unconscious Attea out. Menct whirled around to face them, and took in their horrified faces.

He made a dismissive motion, and started to walk…he did not want to slaughter them. His hand reached up to mash his communicator.

"Aaaaqqquuuasss…"

"Menct? Are you okay? Hauntra briefed me about that little stint you pulled earlier."

"Iiiii…finneee…the frogs….are retreating…." He spoke, watching one fly past. "Oooooorrrdddeeerrrrsss….?"

"I'll mark a blip for your HUD; head over here and we'll head back. The queen's back with her troops; we're good. However, we do have a pressing matter to tend to, once you're at the evac zone I'll inform you." Menct felt his wounds close…though the hunger called and howled to him more than ever.

He needed that collar soon; he had to eat something before he lost his wits.

* * *

Menct stumbled over a ledge, rolling down and righting himself after a brief delay. His mind was going insane, but he pushed the thoughts down as best he could.

"Menct?" He looked up, seeing Aquas there, along with the others in a battered and bruised condition…but they were okay.

However, he noticed something even more pressing; an Incursean present, handcuffed, but he was standing among them none the less.

"I assume you're wondering about…well him?" Yenth asked, keeping a white pad pressed to his side to keep pressure on the wound he took. "So was I…Aq…ya gon' explain?" The Orishan nodded motioning to the silent soldier.

"Apparently, this is Frogert. Based on what happened he turned on his own soldiers and open fired at them before surrendering. When Tarator handcuffed him and the others pulled back I interrogated him and figured out why. His response was…weird." The toad lifted his head, almost as if silently asking for permission to explain himself. At Aquas' nod, he opened his mouth, voice youthful yet holding the same froggish tone the others all possessed.

"I wanted to become a Plumber." Menct stood there, trying to understand…why. "I was never one to enjoy the whole…lifestyle we lived. It was horrendous; we took people's homeworlds, slaughtered the populace, and wrecked much of the galaxy. I wanted something better…to be something better."

"So you turned on your own soldiers in the midst of combat?" Tarator asked. "How do we know you're not just trying to gain access to Plumber records and other things?"

"Because I can give you access to numerous Incursean plans. I wasn't ever high on the list no…hell I was the guy every one picked on for their own enjoyment. If I can be something better, then I welcome it."

"…are there more like you?" Veele asked, genuinely concerned now. Frogert nodded, standing though with a light limp…it was clear his leg had suffered some damage, showing from the hole in his black jump suit around his leg, the flesh seared.

"There are, but we're too…scared to just leave. Emperor Milleous and other major Incursean leaders aren't afraid to just kill us on the spot. I took advantage of the situation here to break free…so if you guys don't want me to be a Plumber I understand; just don't send me back to them." Aquas was silent for a moment; everyone was…they were trying to think on the frog's words and consider if he could be trusted.

"Iiiii trust…." Menct finally broke the silence. "Hhhheee caaannn be trrrussted." At his assurance Aquas nodded, the evac ship slowly landing behind them.

"Then we'll bring you back with us Frogert…just be advised you may be imprisoned briefly before Magister Tennyson hears your testimony and considers you for Plumber academy; even after than you'd be on some form of probation due to being Incursean." Aquas stood up and motioned for him to start moving for the ship. "But, I'm sure in good time you'll be a remarkable Plumber; just like Menct." The Aluneca nodded, limping and slowly walking into the ship's canopy, Veele being the first to notice his severe damage.

"Jeez Menct; how'd you tear yourself up so bad?!" He pat her head, pushing her back from him…he didn't want her to get too close in case he snapped suddenly. "Oookkayyy…gonna need to get you taken care of when we get back to HQ…cause those don't look good at all." He nodded to that at least, slumping against the wall and keeping a hand over his stomach to keep the pressure on his injury…he wasn't healing anymore.

He needed some food desperately…

"Menct…ya okay?" Yenth asked, taking his seat next to Veele as the others filled in. "You look…outta it." He looked up, and cut off the external oxygen to his helmet, nodding after a brief delay.

The problem was, for a faint moment, he smelt Yenth's blood…he had to keep himself restricted…he didn't wanna hurt his friends.

He cared about them too much to let his instinct kick in…but he needed to get back home soon; he either he succumbed to his instinct and attacked his friends, or bled out and perished on the way back to Plumber HQ.

* * *

"So, daughter of mine, how did the siege go?" Emperor Milleous asked via hologram, Attea seated in her chair waving away another Incursean trying to make sure she was okay from the nasty fall she took. "Did you take over the Gourmand's planet and execute their queen?"

"Um…y-yeah; but I destroyed it as a show of force." She was lying through her teeth, but he was glad he couldn't tell. "Just some minah…setbacks."

"Hmm? Setbacks?" He asked, rubbing his warty chin. "Tell me; did they have anythin' to do with that Ben punk?"

"Um…no. Just an Incursean who went rouge and another problem."

"Rouge? Which one did?"

"Ehh…I think his name was…Frogert?"

"That guy who tried to buy you something and cried like a wuss when you beat him up?"

"Yeah, _him_."

"Meh, good riddance; anyhow, that other problem?"

"Nothin' cept an Aluneca showed up—"

"A WHAT?!" She was caught off guard by her father's sudden outburst. "You found a dang Aluneca and you didn't try and recruit 'im for our army?!"

"He was working for the Plumbers; not much I could do." She never saw her father like this…he had the same sort of frustration and worry he had when dealing with the likes of Ben Tennyson. "Why? He didn't seem all that bad."

"Attea, even a Half Breed Aluneca can take out an entire _system_ by itself. Now, you're tellin' me that the Plumbers have one of them working wit them? Those things are even _worse_ than that Tennyson punk! Means we're outta time; we gotta hurry and establish a proper hold around Earth before we strike."

"But what's so bad about one? It seemed pretty…weak; it relied on its armor instead of its own ability."

"Still; if they have one of those monsters with them, that means the longer we wait, the stronger that thing'll get until it can take out our entire invasion by itself. Keep the war path up; don't hold back whatsoever." And with that he cut the communications, leaving Attea to her thoughts, thinking. If what her father said was true, that thing was not only their entire undoing, but was even more dangerous than Ben? That got her curious…she could use that sort of manpower for her own personal reasons to get the throne…though she still drifted back in thought about what happened when the thing yanked her out the ship to their doom.

Anyone else would just use her to cushion their fall; he didn't.

"Menct…need that weird critter on my team ASAP…"

To Be Continued…

* * *

(The delay was because I stopped watching Ben 10 Omniverse for a good while. Due to this I had to improvise a lot of things for this chapter; numerous things were different from the original episode and its content. The rest may be like this, since it'd add more format and allow me more creative freedom for each episode. Though right now I can clarify something.

· Aluneca are dangerous because they can take the simplest DNA and assimilate it into their DNA and use it for their own uses. If anything, this can be compared to the likes of Kevin during the original series as an antagonist; a big morph of all the alien forms. An Aluneca who readily consumes other alien species can become like this and even use all these powers at once. While this doesn't sound as dangerous as perceived, imagine if one were to attack and eat the likes of Alien X; the resulting Aluneca could be strong enough to remove all of reality for its own befit. Menct is not foreign to this ability; if he were to let his instinct get the better of him and eat one, he could bend all of reality to his whim. That's why even Emperor Milleous fears Menct's kind; that kind of power is something to fear more than even the Omnitrix.

· The team may grow larger; nowhere did I ever mention that six was the max size for Menct and his group of friends. Multiple Aliens will make appearances in this story and will join the team. And yes, they will be often obscure alien species that viewers tended to forget and not recall even at the dire moments.

· Hauntra was inspired from Katsuragi of Senran Kagura; she's capable of dire thought but is mostly perverted and carefree, seen here in the story. She does respect Menct a high amount but…it's impossible to tell. Not even he can read her.

· Menct does have a tongue; it just literally retracts into his head while not needed. When eating, it forms a bottom jaw for him to take in food with. When he speaks it slaps against his mandibles; that's why his words are so garbled and gnarled; talking is really a chore for him.

· You guys can make suggestions for aliens to add to Epsilon Squad; could be amusing.


	9. Additions

"Max, now do you believe me?" Azmuth asked the aged man; the two of them present in the Med Bay, overlooking a wounded Menct. He rested in a large green tube, filled with a liquid designed to heal, but he was inanimate the entire time, aside from a twitch every few minutes. A helmet rested on his head, supplying him oxygen as the fluid worked its magic and restored Menct's chitin and seared flesh, though at a gradual pace. "Now do you see the problem Menct is?"

"What I saw, Azmuth, was Menct defended his team, went toe to toe with the princess for the Incurseans, and completed his mission…the details don't need to be mentioned."

"Considering he attacked a Gourmand and assimilated the DNA; not to mention the scans we had done on him concluded Incursean DNA is in his system now…it'll fade within a few weeks as long as he doesn't feed on them; still it's a testament to my point on that creature being a threat. What if he were to have turned on his team in the ship, because believe me, he was tempted to."

"Look, just…" Max sighed, rubbing his face, obvious frustration setting in. "…this job means a lot to Menct. He wants to make a difference, and the lengths he goes through to do so prove more than anything else that he's an ally, and that he won't let his instincts get the better of him and make him slaughter his friends. I trust, one hundred percent, that he's dedicated to this job, and he refuses to let those things drag him down." The Galvan sighed, shaking his head at Max's stubbornness on the subject regarding Menct.

"…fine; I suppose he's done a good job at trying to defend the galaxy…though the collar he used to use to keep his instinct in check won't work now, with how far he's progressed. But, I'm sure it'll be ready before he gets out…how…long is that exactly?"

"In about a day; normally the Bactia-Tank takes at least triple that time to heal most Plumbers but Menct's own impressive biology shortened that time drastically; who knows, he could even be done by the end of this day if the P-Meat we gave him can supply his body with the needed energy to start restoring itself."

"The Aluneca body is a marvel not even I can understand…maybe one day I can have Menct come to the lab so we can run some tests on him; could be a chance we can even incorporate that sort of power to the Omnitrix and future projects…just in case the others like him come to our galaxy and threaten it." The Galvan hopped down, Max catching him and setting him on his shoulder so they could walk. "Anyhow, I heard they brought back an Incursean prisoner who wanted to become a Plumber…how curious."

"Frogert; based on what I've learned from his testimony he suffered abuse, neglect, and bullying at the hands of his fellow soldiers when he went through the military school," Max spoke, stopping in a room containing a larger computer, with several Plumbers already bringing up the files and data they had on Frogert and Incurseans in general. "From there he defected the first chance he got and joined us."

"And you're letting him?"

"I suppose so; Aquas and Menct both vouched for him but he'll be on a tight leash when he goes on missions, as well as be assigned to Epsilon Squad. Hopefully he'll be as good of a Plumber as the team says."

"Hmm, seems they're growing well; I suppose there's more members to this team?"

"Two more, yes." The screens flickered again to display another person…a strange hybrid for the Piscciss Volann.

For one thing it'd be nigh impossible to tell she was a Piscciss Volann at first glance; she had pale white skin with fish-like scales adorning it. Her face was densely humanoid with the exception of sharpened teeth and the glowing lure on her forehead, along with two fins on both sides of her jaw. Her hair reached her lower back and was a deep cyan color, and her eyes were a deep amber hue, and she had a slightly curvy look to herself; wearing a white sleeveless set of Plumber armor, with black baggy pants and the same sterile white blocky boots. Her hands were webbed, with a communicator adorning her left arm, but overall she looked like someone that no one ever expected to make the cut.

"This is Bella; another human/alien hybrid brought on by a Piscciss Volann marrying and having a child with a human female. As such, she took on more traits from her mother and developed a roughly humanoid appearance; gaining some amphibious traits such as gills and lungs."

"Interesting; her specialty?"

"Bella seems to lean more towards medical knowledge; she prefers working as a field medic and can treat most wounds in moments, as well as move exceptionally fast despite her…well setbacks; drying out being one of them. But aside from that she recently graduated the academy, and requested transference to Epsilon Squad following the invasion of the Tetramands earlier; only recently was her request approved."

"Hmm, I'll see what she can do." The next recruit was displayed, and this time both Max and Azmuth were caught off guard.

A Thep Khufan; a mummy alien from the haunting Anur system.

The one shown was in one of the libraries, seated and engrossed in a book. Unlike the typical ones from their home system he retained a bulky upper body, and a pair of blackish shorts around his lower body. He still wore the typical Egyptian headpiece they were known for, but his had the Plumber Emblem on the back, as did his pants. His bandages were a dry yellow color, but none the less he still displayed adept movement with them despite his head being the central core for their locomotion; bandages bringing over more books for him to read and putting others back with surprising deftness.

"Now _this_ interests me." Azmuth spoke, dropping down to land on a nearby chair. "Another Anur person?"

"Sarc, as far as we know, holds the same background as Hauntra; suffered abuse and neglect for a long time. His kind are apparently diverged between an upper class and a lower class; Sarc was part of the latter and overtime he hitched a ride back to our system where he was detained. Apparently, he wanted to become a Plumber for the sole purpose of proving even those from the lower class are capable of amazing feats. From what I learned when I spoke to him, he's mostly silent; he doesn't like talking. But, he seems to do better showing, and not telling."

"Another do gooder…amusing. I'll be eager to see how he does." And with that Azmuth wandered off, leaving Max to go over the specs regarding the other Incursean operations Ben and Rook broke up…what worried him was they were getting increasingly bold with their attacks.

Earth was an inevitable location for an Incursean attack…the problem was Max didn't know if it'd be a random skirmish, or a full-scale war.

The latter would lead to countless deaths and casualties; Max couldn't afford that to happen.

* * *

The blurred word was even more blurred to Menct…he didn't know why. His vision was returning to the state it always was when he lacked his helmet; it always upset him when he could see little to nothing, and things constantly ventured into the unseen world he could never touch, no matter how hard he tried.

No matter how hard he tried, he could never venture into the unseen world.

"Menct? Are you okay?" His head drifted up, now able to register that he was in some sort of tank, filled with odd liquid that gave everything an odd green tint to it. He did make out the blurred form of a medical officer standing before him; a human this time. He lifted a small red pen, a bright green light forming at the tip of it. "Please follow the light, I need to assess that you're still able to focus." Though hard at first, Menct was able to follow the light; up and down, and then left to right, pleasing the doctor enough to click the light off.

"Splendid; you're functioning as normal. When you got back from your assignment you were in a dire condition; close to bleeding out and nearly mad with hunger. We managed to stabilize you in this tank, though it took some time I will admit." The fluid rapidly drained, and Menct's bare claws touched the ground, head lazily glancing around. "But, you recovered in twenty-four hours as Maxwell informed me…good." The glass lifted slowly, exposing Menct to the cold air of the Med Bay. The human medic walked over to a table, lifting, and handing Menct a pair of completely opaque goggles. Begrudgingly he slid them on and was rewarded with the same ocular enhancements he possessed when he wore his helmet; finally, the unseen world was visible again!

"These are temporary, I'm afraid; since your old armor was damaged pretty badly we had to get another set created and designed for you and scrap the old remains all together, a replacement if you will. Should be just like the original set of armor you wore with some minor altercations and some additional HUD enhancements." Menct followed the doctor, but without his armor he was…skittish. He was only clad in his black shorts, so thus he felt…exposed and afraid. He put those emotions down en route to the armory; arriving inside and already hearing the doctor walk away from him.

"Menct, good to see you." Rubiac; the sight of his captain made the Aluneca forget his woes and worries; standing eagerly to shake his hand. The Petrosapien returned the gesture, patting Menct's shoulder before he gestured to the armor along the wall. "Had to say, when I was briefed about your exiting from the med bay I was pretty damn happy; from the way it sounded you weren't gonna make it." Menct's reply was a light click sound, feeling Rubiac set a blocky helmet in his chitin-covered hands. It reminded him of his older one, though now the visor was more cyan colored and the Omnitrix emblem was on the front; something no doubt suggested by Ben.

"This is your new helmet; able to function wirelessly from your armor as it uses its own internal power source. This new one's HUD comes with vital sensors so you and your team can monitor everyone's health state from afar, not to mention an improved motion tracker for infiltration assignments. Go ahead and slip it on; need to get it calibrated and synced to your team's communicators." Menct hesitantly removed the goggles he wore, one again embracing the blurred world he had lived in for years before he slipped the helmet on, feeling the crisp, clear air fill his lungs with each breath he took. The HUD rapidly adjusted to his eyes; blurring and refocusing until he could see the proper image of the armory and Rubiac's calm face, the Petrosapien tapping his visor.

"You're good, right? How many fingers am I holding up?" Menct held up two fingers, and Rubiac nodded. "Good, you can see. All right, now right now your Vital Scanner isn't active, if you can tell; it's because you got some new team members in your lapse; three in fact. So of course, we need to get them set up with their communicators before we sync their vitals and such to your HUD." Rubiac tossed Menct the rest of his armor; retaining the same white color as before but now there were green geometric patterns along the arms and torso; the Aluneca sliding them on and tapping his chest. This new armor lacked the black skintight suit underneath; it resumed just covering his chest, forearms, shins, and head. His shorts had armored kneepads, and his hands had fingerless gloves coating them. But, overall, the new armor fit him like a well-aged glove. For the last thing he was given the same collar he wore from last time, with extensive modifications to it so he could feed and work without risk of taking DNA…while it was a harrowing limitation it was needed so he wouldn't end up like he did on Peptos; torn between either succumbing to his instincts and ripping someone to shreds, or dying from his injuries and being unable to heal himself.

"You're all suited up?" At Menct's nod Rubiac tapped a button on the wall, some of the wall folding away to reveal a firing range. "Good; due to some new breakthroughs, we got our hands on new weapons; want you to try a few before we can determine which one's best for you. I know you're able to use…well most on the fly but this seems wiser." Menct lifted his hand and caught a stocky rifle; Menct looking down the holographic sights and aiming at the dummy on the wall.

"That's the P-Laser Rifle; it uses a hard propulsion system to take down targets. Due to this firing method it's semi-automatic; fires as fast as you can pull the trigger. It doesn't use a magazine system like most Plumber weapons though…but it does use a battery; be mindful not to overheat it in the middle of a fight. If it does though," Rubiac made the motion for Menct to toss him the gun, the Aluneca doing so and watching the Petrosapien tap the exhaust vent along the side.

"If the gun starts to feel hot during a fight, yank this open and give it a few moments to cool down. If that battery gets too overheated during a skirmish, there's a slight chance it could explode."

"Exxxpllllloooodddeee…?" Menct's tone sounded afraid now, though Rubiac merely shrugged it off.

"Don't worry; you're a smart alien, so I'm sure you can avoid this." He set the gun down, and handed Menct a smaller pistol-like gun; the barrel being long and with the same geometric patterns along it. "Now this one is a good side arm for all Plumbers to carry into combat now; Max is making this standard issue with new regulations. They unfortunately operate via magazine system but their stopping power is something to be witnessed. They use energy based shots as well yes, but unlike the typical lot they're meant for rapid target accusation. Now I want you to take the E-Handgun and tap it against your left gauntlet." Menct did as asked, and was shocked to see the gun's display appear in the right corner of his HUD, as well as the ammo he had left.

"See that? It's a feature we perfected; now your armor will automatically adjust to the weapon held and display its ammo count, features, and an automatic reticle for it so your aiming is more solid when hip firing. Just line the sights up with the dot in your helmet and you'll be taking down targets without any stopping point." Menct handed the gun back to his captain, and was thus given one final weapon; another rifle this time.

"The Plasma Repeater; it's a bolt action one. You fire once, pull the hammer back, and repeat. It's more designed as a combat sniper; useful for both long range and mid ranged combat; varying scopes are being worked on to match the user's likeness. Now another thing to remember is it also uses a battery system, but it's much harder to overheat than the Laser Rifle." And with that the gun training had concluded; Menct watching the wall converge and close. "Anyhow, time for you to go meet your extended team; from there you guys will all be heading off on a training mission." The Aluneca was…slightly skeptical, when he was told about getting more team members.

The last time that happened, a station exploded into the sun.

* * *

The door slid open, and Menct stepped inside. In a flash he was greeted with a chorus of greetings and worried questions; namely from Aquas and Veele wanting to know if he was okay.

"Iiii….fine…." He spoke, though his eyes fell on the Incursean speaking to Yenth…Frogert; that was his name. Now he was clad in white armor, the gauntlets and greaves a light silver color and bulkier, with his helmet being akin to the typical Incursean, though it had the Plumber emblem on the side. Upon being sighted by Menct he approached the Aluneca, extending his hand.

"It's good to be finally working with you, Menct…the stunts you pulled on Peptos were amazing."

"Lllliiikkkkeeewwwiiiisssseee…" Menct spoke, shaking the Incursean's smaller hand. "What….you…dooo?"

"Oh me? I'm on interception. When we're out in the field I'm the guy who deciphers enemy communications and transmits them. I'm also the hacker." That sounded believable. Yenth pat the toad's back, already seeming to have formed a friendship with him.

"And ev'n better, this lil' guy loves chili dogs and smoothies as well! I finally got my smoothie run buddy!" At least that arc came to a close…though Menct focused on the two newcomers, the fish girl being the first to get his attention.

"Whhhooo…sheeeee?" The girl glanced up, nodding briefly to Menct before she resumed reading a book.

"Bella; I'm your new medic. I filed for a request to join Epsilon Squad following the Tetramand dispute being settled some time ago; took now for me to get it with such a colorful squad." She had a dismissive tone about her; as if she cared little about what happened to others.

That already told him they would not get along when they had free time.

And then his gaze fell to the…mummy, watching him rise from the corner and form. He was still shorter than Menct, but by only a few inches. His red eyes focused on the Aluneca, and Menct stared back.

"..." He said nothing…Menct was able to get the idea either he was a mute, or he was a being of few words. "Hi." His voice was more distorted and disembodied, made sense considering his body.

"Menct, are you sure you're mission worthy right now?" Aquas' voice reached his head, and Menct readily nodded, feeling fine enough to work. "Rubiac said we have a training exercise today—"

"Make that assignment," The Petrosapien himself spoke, stepping into the room, and watching everyone rise and stand at his arrival. "We have something going on down in Undertown." He tapped the wall, a holographic screen forming on the wall to show the one responsible.

Psyphon…the illusive and dangerous criminal who tended to always flare up in Undertown at the worst times.

"Our old friend Psyphon managed to escape from our containment, and has taken up arms with his old gang once again in Undertown. This time they've taken a few hostages and are demanding a certain list of items by a deadline…else the hostages will be executed one by one."

"That's not like Psyphon to go about with just…executing people." Tarator spoke, arming and charging one of his blasters. "What's his game."

"We assume he's bluffing, but…we're not the type to take that chance. If there's a chance Psyphon's gotten desperate enough to start executing hostages, then we're in trouble. You nine are gonna be heading down to Undertown to secure the front, subdue the perps, and get the hostages all out okay."

"Shouldn't Ben handle this sort of thing? It's right up his alley after all." Yenth's question was a good one, but Rubiac merely shook his head.

"Ben Tennyson and his companion Rook are tending to some off world circumstances concerning the Incurseans; they're still on the war path and we're not sure how long before they target Earth directly." Menct could feel Frogert cringe at the mention of his people's carnage, but the Aluneca's hand on his shoulder calmed him down sufficiently. "Anyhow, gear up and head down to Undertown…we're not sure if any of the hostages are wounded so let's be ready to emergency evac if we have to. Since Menct is still…back on the cycle we're limiting major operations just in case he lapses out." Menct knew this was really one of the simpler jobs he ever handled, but even then he felt a bit bad that he was essentially a handicap for his team with his return to combat. Still, he refused to take this job lightly; people's lives were at stake here.

Though thankfully this was under less critical circumstances like the other various times.

* * *

"Tarator, are you in position?" Aquas asked, standing outside a small store. Much of the team was gone, and he was surveying the location where the hostage situation was; a large warehouse. Even now he could see various droids roaming around…Psyphon managed to get a hold of some new things. The ones present weren't normal robots; they looked more akin to the type Vilgax would use to do his dirty work, the Drones…meant that these ones were built strong and were made to last for killing. The light voice came through his communicator; Aquas leaning against the wall and listening in.

"Yes sir; so far from what I've seen Psyphon himself isn't moving around but he's managed to get a hold on some of Vilgax's Insect Drones; how I do not know but I'm holding off on shooting. Based on what I know these things can often operate through a major linked network; if one sees me shooting, they all could."

"Good idea; Frogert, how are communications looking?"

"Stagnant sir, Psyphon is barely communicating with his goons or the androids. Either he just doesn't have anything to say or they know I'm listening in…so…just gonna hope against the latter."

"Keep at it then and try to get us something to work with to expose a weakness. Menct, what about you?"

As he asked that, the Aluneca was rapidly tunneling through the ground, moving as fervently as he always did when back in the ground; his one true happy place. The walls were too close for the unseen world to creep into his sight and ruin everything…he was at peace when he could dig to where he wanted. But he needn't forget why he was there; he was on an assignment. His hand reached up to mash the side of his helmet, opening the communicator and stopping in his tunneling to speak.

"Iiii…appprrrroooacccchhh…."

"Good, now you just need to erupt and leap out right where you can find the most androids; Tarator will be giving you covering fire. Once you take out enough of the droids Yenth and the others can get in and secure the location before Psyphon's goons return to the location; not that we can't beat them, I'd just rather not risk that much collateral damage."

Menct was silently glad no one really worried about the tunnels he made then. He resumed digging though, his tremor sense telling him at least seven signatures were right above him; he had no idea to tell what, but he had to take a guess and come out anyhow. His legs braced against the rocky wall, and he pushed up with titanic force; breaking right through the pavement and pulling the E-Handgun out to level it with a Regular Drone's head; the robot's head exploding into sparks and metal when Menct fired and terminated it. He turned sharply and fired at the next one, emptying his entire clip and taking them all down. He glanced around, looking at the destroyed, shattered husks for the droids, and sheathed his weapon; kneeling to press his hand against the floor.

…

…

He could feel more movement approaching. Those had to be more droids; the hostages weren't moving and Psyphon's goons would make more noise when they moved, or at the very least create more force with each step. He looked around the stale brown room and tried to find a place for cover; he could find any just as a Drone kicked the door down and Menct fired at it, blowing a smoldering hole right through its chest and destroying it, seeing another and another rush in. He kept shooting, closely monitoring his ammo count, and clenching his mandibles; he could see he was about to run out of shots and the droids still approached.

A crack outside told him Tarator was doing his fair share of taking the Drones down. Menct's hand shot out to catch one by the head and smash it into the ground, noticing one was using a simple laser blaster. When he picked it up and tapped it against his gauntlet its ammo count appeared on his HUD, and the reticle changed to a more hexagonal format…at least he could use the weapon properly.

"Hey Menct!" Yenth's voice pierced his communicator, just as Menct poked his head out the room and roamed around, keeping his gun leveled to ensure any foe would be staring down his laser blaster. "We're hearing some mad shit go down at the warehouse; you okay up there?"

"Iiii…ffffiiinnnee…" Another Drone popped out and Menct smashed it into the ground. "Wwwwwhhhheeerrree….yyyyyoooouuuu?"

"We're running through the sewers and settin' some explosives underneath the warehouse so we can get inside. Frogert said we gotta hurry though; the rest of Psyphon's goons should be comin' back now."

"Hhhhooooww….ffffaaarrr—" Menct was cut off when the wall exploded, rolling to the side to avoid from being caught by a flying fist. He could see numerous foes present…some he recognized, and some he didn't.

"…that far." Menct snarled and clutched the weapon; rolling to the side and avoiding the return strike; hearing a chicken's squawk before a chicken-like alien attacked, clawed hands trying to grasp onto Menct's neck, to no real avail. He snarled, able to hear another foe at his left, swinging and smashing the chicken into the bubble headed being; sending them both tumbling to the floor. His foot pressed down to the ground, and he could feel his friends were close…he had to keep these foes busy. He smashed the butt of his rifle into the chicken's head; continuing to fight before sharp pain filled Menct's body, looking down to see the chitin burned again around his leg, turning to see the shooter standing there, with a calm, smug grin.

"Well now, this is an interesting surprise," Psyphon spoke, stepping forward as he leveled his blaster with Menct's head. "The Plumbers sent an errand boy alone…I guess I can kill you and pawn the technology; that armor looks _real_ fancy." Menct tried to shoot left but another shot connected, this time burning his shoulder. Each time he tried to move one of Psyphon's gang would just strike him, leaving him open for another shot.

But he held on none the less; for right before Psyphon could shoot for his head, an explosion rocked the entire warehouse, and Menct saw his chance; ripping through the ground and digging.

"No!" Psyphon fired blindly down the tunnel Menct made, utterly furious. "Get him! Bring that Plumber here dead or alive—" He didn't even get time to finish; Menct's hand burst from the ground and grabbed Psyphon's foot, dragging him down into the tunnel made. The pale skinned being didn't even get time to react before Menct's fist collided with his face, rendering him unconscious.

"Fffffoooeee….ttttaaakeeen." Menct spoke, grasping Psyphon by the scruff of his shirt, remaining in the tunnel while he felt the mindless stumbling of the others roaming around…confused and perplexed about Menct's sudden disappearance.

Such fools.

"Good work Menct, get Psyphon down to the sewers so another team can apprehend him; you just head on up and secure the hostages." Nodding, Menct continued to dig down, breaking through the rocky tunnel and dropping into the sewer; ripping a pipe from the wall and bending it around; effectively trapping Psyphon against the wall. He sighed, tapping his chest, and looking at the injuries he took from being careless earlier; patting his gloved hand against his shoulder and feeling the blood well up. It still seared, but he would be okay…though Menct did find it somewhat thankful that he always took damage to the spots he could heal from.

Though the injury to his belly on Peptos was…the one time he took a fatal injury. That day still weighed on him; really it was the first time Menct was close to killing his friends or brutally murdering and gorging himself on the Incurseans. He never came that close before and yet he was pushed to that point quickly.

Menct cleared his head, jumping up and beginning to rip through the ground; there was no time to dwell on the mistakes of the previous battle. New ones were on the horizon and he always had to be prepared for them; the next one could always be worse than the previous one.

That was something he always told himself when he deployed with his team.

* * *

"Guys I found something." Frogert spoke; the entire team gathered up outside the warehouse, other Plumbers surrounding the compound and either arresting Psyphon's goons or cleaning up the remains of the Drones. The Incursean lifted up a small red and black cubical device, something that caught Aquas' attention in seconds.

"Frogert, what is that thing?"

"Something I found while sweeping the compound; it looks like something Vilgax would have."

"I get that Psyphon was a big…y'know…footstool for Vilgax but what's that gotta do with this?" Hauntra asked, Frogert tapping the box and turning to her.

"It seems to be some sort of communicator; it uses encrypted codes to send messages from one source to another; in this case Psyphon to Vilgax. I tried to crack the codes but I didn't really have time…could be something vital on here that may give us some insight on what's going on."

"Huh…okay once we get back to HQ you work on deciphering those codes so we can figure out what Vilgax was saying…knowing him it's either world breaking or revenge on Ben Tennyson; he tends to be fairly predictable."

"I did do some deciphering while I had time during the sweep; still hard to really spell things out but it looks like the last message came from Vilgax slightly before his apprehension at the hands of Plumbers a few days ago…but…as of now I still can't figure it out."

"Before, huh…might just be a preparation to attack or something; Ben can probably handle it when he gets home." The team started to walk away from the site; Menct being the last to leave…he was the one to do the most thinking in this time.

Something didn't add up. Vilgax was Psyphon's master yes, or at the very least as far as everyone knew, but…why would he take the time to send a message to the crime organizer? Usually the Vilgaxian would just show up unannounced and expect everyone to fall in line.

What was so important, that Vilgax would take the time to send an encrypted message before his capture…?

To Be Continued…

* * *

(I introduced some new characters; sure, they weren't the focus this time but that was because I was adding some new things to Menct and even some new weapons. Really the Ben 10 Universe tends to have very little weapons and information on them to go on; I just make these things up and explain them through some logic.)


	10. Prison Job

"Epsilon Squad…this is it." Rubiac spoke, standing with everyone in a briefing room; one of the fancy ones with the long table for everyone to get a seat at. Even now each of them either sipped on a smoothie or gnawed on some food; especially apparently in both Menct and Yenth's cases. "Your big break; this mission is so important not only is Ben Tennyson accompanying us, but I am as well." This caught Aquas' focus in seconds, the Orishan setting down his blueberry flavored smoothie.

"You, sir? What could be important enough that you're coming with us?"

"This," The screen on the wall flickered to display something else…an image of something borderline PTSD inducing.

Vilgax. He was present in a pair of handcuffs, but still wore a ferocious glare, shoving two Plumbers to the side and trying to crush them. Yenth was shivering, Tarator was moving away, and everyone showed some form of fear apart from Menct and Sarc.

" _This_ is our assignment; we're the team that got the lottery ticket to escort Vilgax to Incarcecon; a maximum-security prison designed to hold the universe's most dangerous lifeforms. Warlords, dictators, psychopaths; the worst of the worst got in and the worst of them got the special treatment of being put into a hole so deep there's no way to ever get out. Maxwell entrusted us the special task of putting Vilgax in that hole."

"H-Hold on, we're escorting Vilgax to Incarcecon…Vilgax…the scariest asshole in much of the known galaxy?! And they want US to take care of him?" Yenth was nearly hyperventilating, though he calmed down when Veele put his muzzle in a paper bag; trying to get him to stop freaking out.

"Yenth's just paranoid…still…this does seem vastly over our heads as a team." Bella spoke up, closing her magazine, and blowing a tuft of hair out her eye. She did feel a chill and of course Hauntra materialized behind her, hands sinking into the pliable flesh of her chest and kneading it, wearing a coy grin while…Bella just looked indifferent to the act itself; like she didn't mind at all.

Menct…just didn't ask; really, he just chocked it up to another thing he missed while he was out of commission.

"…none the less, we're all going to bring in Vilgax; all ten of us. We're doing this because Frogert managed to finally decrypt those files we uncovered from Psyphon; if you will." The Incursean stood up, pulling the box out and sliding it across the table.

"Vilgax fears…hugh…my kind's gonna attack him." That caught many of them by surprise. "Not really like terror fear but more like…he's aware they're gonna come after him. Shortly before apprehension he learned of the Incursean Warpath and learned that his home planet of Vilgaxia is next up on their campaign. And since they're literally an entire planet of war bearing monsters, you know how they'll break their will."

"Assassinating Vilgax. He's the ruler of that planet; he goes down so does their willpower. So, because of this he literally surrendered, just so he could use the Plumber advantage to avoid the Incurseans and whatever they're gonna throw at him." Rubiac spoke, setting down a folder filled with files and other information. "He's using his incarceration to keep himself away from the Incurseans and whatever they may throw at him. He's taking a gamble; he wants to see if we can unwittingly take out his aggressors before he attempts escape."

"So what's our move then sir?" Aquas asked, fear evident but he kept it down. "What'll we do with Vilgax?"

"We play things our as normal; we're transporting him to Incarcecon and sealing him inside; and then we'll be tending to the Incursean threat; we lose him and the Incurseans get one very vast step closer to attacking Earth after setting up a decent foothold. With him put into the deepest hole possible before we take on the Incurseans. Now we're gonna have to be very careful in that prison; all communications will be severed and cut off…including our own. We'll have no real way to speak to one another following a mishap, so we need to work diligently." Rubiac tapped the screen again, shifting it to a full layout of Incarcecon. "We do this by the book; with our numbers and our skill we can easily overpower any force against us."

Menct still had a bad feeling on this entire operation…something didn't seem right. He felt he should keep his guard up to a maximum amount…the stakes were far too high to simply play it easy.

* * *

"So…you guys got some…eh…new friends." Ben spoke, standing next to Menct in front of Vilgax's containment cell. Much of the team was roaming the ship, either getting places to sit down or making sure everything was secure and prepared for movement. The teen hero was obviously meaning the likes of Bella and Sarc; the latter of which glancing to him when he felt the teen's stare. "Any relation to a mummy who showed up on Earth a coupla years ago? He tried stealing some stuff to help out Ghostfreak."

"Uncle." And with that he was silent once again, Ben humming affirmatively. It was clear that was the most he was gonna get out of the mummy alien. Feeling an awkward feeling set in, Ben glanced to Bella, clearing his throat.

"So what about you…you're a Ripjaws female so…cool." She glanced up, having been engrossed in reading.

"I'm a Piscciss Volann; we're fish beings…and I'm half; not full. I can breathe both air and water perfectly."

"Oh, cool; you're the medic?" At her nod, Ben leaned back against the wall, patting Menct's shoulder. "Can you keep an eye on this guy for me then? He likes to get 'imself torn up pretty badly trying to be a hero." Menct made a dismissive click noise, Bella merely nodding…and then Menct's bad feeling was confirmed. A sudden rock made the entire ship lurch; they were under fire.

"Who's shooting us?!" Rubiac shouted, rushing over to the window, grabbing his E-Handgun. "Incurseans? Vilgax's allies?" They couldn't get a visual on the shooter; the only thing they could see was a purple arc fly out and strike the hull; the ship flying out and crashing into the ground, a short walk from the airlock but still in the vacuum of space.

"…okay…who here can breathe in space?" Sarc, Menct, Aquas, and Tarator all raised their hands to Rubiac's question. "Okay everyone else take get the emergency EVA kit…we need to reach the Airlock and get inside; together." Ben opened Vilgax's cell and immediately clamped a set of energy cuffs to him; preventing the warlord from escaping.

"I should've known you'd make it hard for to get away…" He growled, everyone arming themselves with the needed suits while Ben shifted quickly, standing as Kickin' Hawk in a green flash.

"Yup, so everyone take a deep breath, make sure your EVA helmets work, and jump when I say so." He pulled the hatch and the air flushed out noisily; Yenth being the first to fly out and crash into the metal hull of the Incarcecon.

"…ow." He muttered, the rest of the team following suit; Rubiac being the first to approach the panel next to the airlock and mash some of the holographic keys, trying to get things up and operational.

Menct saw something in the close distance; an Incursean vessel. He snarled, grasping his Plasma Repeater, and taking aim, fingers working in a blur to pull the trigger once and pull the hammer back; the satisfying pop of his shot breaching the canopy resonating even in the nothingness of space. Rubiac got the door open just as the ship exploded, everyone filling inside and Vilgax, of course, tried to shake Yenth and Sarc off him; Ben being the first to kick him with all his might before the Omnitrix timed out.

"Hey Ben, calm down!" Rubiac shouted, yanking on the boy's shoulder. "He's not the one responsible for that attack."

"Or is he?" The teen growled, obviously letting his deep sated history with the alien show. "He'd do anything to get free; he took a chance and tried to go for it, even if we all died in there—"

"Use your brain, or lack thereof, Ben Tennyson," He spoke, rising, and shaking his damaged face off. "If the attackers shot the right spot, I'd have perished with all of you. It's those damned Incurseans; they're assaulting me as I warned!"

"Then we're out of options," Rubiac spoke, pulling his E-Handgun out and spinning it a bit, shaking his head. "We're not sure what they're sending after us; a maddened blitzkrieg or a full-scale assault...and considering there's no real communications here in Incarcecon they'd be able to do all the damage they wanted and we'd be unable to even communicate with one another. We're gonna have to get tactical." The Petrosapien motioned over to Aquas, Yenth, Sarc, Frogert, and Veele. "You five need to head to the Communications Relay and lower the blackout field so we can get communications going amongst ourselves, and even warn Plumber HQ of the impending attacking we're facing; Frogert I need you to try to hack into Incursean COMs then and figure out what they're planning. The rest of you are with me; we're moving Vilgax to his cell and getting him locked up nice and tight before we plan a counter attack. Since communications are down we're just gonna have to…I guess stay safe and make no mistakes as we work." Menct was first to nod, pulling the hammer back on his weapon and setting off; taking point to ensure no dangerous would come their way.

Vilgax merely scoffed, watching the Aluneca walk.

"The humans truly have gotten desperate if they're allowing a creature such as him to work amongst their ranks."

"Yeah yeah; he can probably kick your butt before you'd even see it coming too." Ben walked past Vilgax, ignoring the growl as Tarator motioned for the Vilgaxian to start moving; the sooner they got things done, the sooner they could take on the Incursean offensive and ensure Vilgax stayed nice and buried.

Or they all could end up buried instead.

* * *

"So far so good," Ben muttered, rounding a corner with the team. Nothing out of the ordinary yet had shown up, aside from a creak or two. "I guess we'll be done soon."

"Let's just hope the other team accomplishes their job first," Rubiac spoke, lifting his Communicator and scowling. "Communications are still down and I have no real way to check in on them unless things go online."

"…foresight wasn't really big on that one, was it?" Hauntra chided, but fell silent with a weak _eep_ noise when Rubiac's glare fell on her. "S-Sorry sir…just…I like joking when scared."

"Stop being scared; we're gonna be okay. We're gonna be fine-" A laser shot to his right made him swear, rushing behind cover, as did the others. Dozens of purple and red lasers shots peppered the ground and soared past them; Menct crouched down with Tarator and Bella while Ben and Rubiac crouched down next to Vilgax. Hauntra was a short way away, hobbled behind a corner, but she was obviously panicking.

"Those shots…" Tarator spoke, Menct catching his tone now…it was somber…afraid even. "Those aren't Incurseans…I know who uses those." The shots died down, and Menct was first to poke his head out; seeing the four there.

The first three were all Sotoraggians like Tarator; the Aluneca recognizing them as Sixsix, Sevenseven, and even Eighteight…whoever called them was bringing out the big guns and the big money.

Attea stood in front of them, her own Incursean hand blasters smoking from the discharge earlier.

The Aluneca never felt more regretful for letting her live when they clashed on Peptos.

"Aaatttteeea…" He snarled, Ben hearing him and offering a calm smirk.

"Lemme guess, you tangled with her too? She's annoying once you get to know her." A shot whirled past his head. "Still, we gotta figure some sort of way to take her down and the rest of her goons. Two of those guys I know and they don't ever play fair; it's either you take them down or they take you out for good." Menct didn't enjoy the sound of that, a shot piercing the ground, followed by a sharp click sound.

"Which one of you just insulted my mother?!" Tarator shouted, rolling from his cover and standing; his appearance did slow the fire down briefly…Menct noticing it was more of a…stand off now.

"Wait…they stopped shooting?" Ben asked, Tarator glancing down to him. "They know you?"

"They know me well enough to consider me a traitor to their kind. I plan to show them what a true Sotoraggian Plumber can really do." He lifted his two E-Handguns, taking aim, Menct being the first to hear the hums of their weapons power back up.

His friend's pride was astronomical in the face of his own kind…Menct had to do something. The shots kicked back in and this time Tarator moved, rushing forward despite the overwhelming danger he was charging right for, running past the oncoming fire; his own blaster firing wildly. Menct rushed out as well, shooting well aimed shots to not kill the other Sotoraggians but at the very least force a withdraw, though it seemed that wouldn't get anywhere.

He had to go in there as well.

Tarator's fist connected Sevenseven's head; knocking him to the ground before a fierce roundhouse caught Sixsix across the head; Eighteight firing without warning and pelting his armored shoulder. The shot did some damage but nowhere near enough to slow him down; not missing a beat and launching his fist for her head, the other Sotoraggian dodging without warning. It was a losing front; every time Tarator went on the offensive Eighteight would just maneuver past and counter strike, and when he went defensive her own attacks would just damage him regardless.

She was stronger and faster than he was, not to mention more skilled in CQC.

Attea lifted her own blaster; Menct smacking the gun from her hand and kicking her square in the chest; the frog girl skidding back and swearing before Menct grabbed Sixsix by the arm, hurling the bounty hunter right for her and knocking her down.

"Get off me you idiot!" She raved and swore; the Sotoraggian managing to get off of her right before a sudden pair of arms phased through the ground, one grasping onto Attea's waist, and the other…right onto her chest.

"Not too big…but they do~" Hauntra…at least her vague attempt at groping using her powers kept Attea on the ground and immobile; the fight was at least a tad fairer. Tarator managed to knock away both of Eighteight's blasters, both bare handed now.

"You're stronger than me in raw combat," Tarator spoke, clawed fingers clenching into fists. "But my will beats yours by a longshot." A light click noise escaped her. "Fair words…here's my retort." He feinted her; appearing to throw his fist left but instead he shifted his weight downwards, planting his knee in her stomach before he delivered a fierce backhand to her head. As for Menct, he was fighting a hard fight; his fist collided with Sevenseven's head, knocking the taller one back before pain exploded across Menct's shoulder; Sixsix standing with his own blasters primed. Silently he wondered why everyone seemed to aim for his shoulders but…no time to really ponder it. Sevenseven lunged for a strike, his fists electrified via what seemed like enhanced knuckles; Menct rolling past and smashing his tail into the hunter's head. Another shot fired, and Menct staggered back, shin bleeding openly from the strike. He reached for his E-Handgun but another shot took that from him, leaving his hand bleeding and damaged in the process. This was a problem, every time he planned to get the upper hand on Sevenseven, Sixsix would just shoot him…that Sotoraggian was getting on Menct's last nerves.

At least he was until a reddish green crystal fist smashed into his head, knocking him to the ground.

"Even when I'm old, I still got it." Rubiac spoke, whistling to Sevenseven to get his attention, albeit in a mocking way. "So, c'mon and fight me; wanna see how easy it is to put you in the floor." The mere second the bounty hunter moved Rubiac smashed his fist into the ground; crystals erupting from the ground with thunderous force and sending him skyward, his head colliding with the ceiling and knocking him down.

"I already knocked the Incursean girl out…wasn't a hard one." A crash to their left rewarded them the sight of an unconscious Eighteight; Tarator standing over her, arms crossed.

"The one thing she lacked above anything else," He spoke, walking over her; wiping the darkened parts of his armor where he took either blast damage or blunt force. "Willpower and motivation; she fights for a bigger paycheck and funding, whereas I fight to protect the things I care about most." He rolled his hands and picked his E-Handguns back up, sliding them into the holsters on his thighs.

"Now can we move on; I'd rather not be around when any of them arise from the severe beating we recently gave them."

Menct couldn't agree more.

* * *

"Still nothing from the other guys?" Ben asked Rubiac; the latter shaking his head and tapping his communicator.

"No good yet; either something's slowing them down, or we're in a jam…" They reached a narrowed hall, the Petrosapien sighing before reloading his E-Handgun. "I'm gonna have to head off and check on them; not doing my job as a captain if they're hurt and I'm here. You know where to take Vilgax right?" Everyone except Ben and the conqueror himself nodded. "Then hop to it Epsilon Squad, the sooner Vilgax is locked up in here the sooner we can move on and put Attea and her friends in the same hole." And with that he lumbered off, leaving Ben and the others to continue walking…though the Omnitrix hero did glance to Tarator.

"Hey, in the fight…why did you…y'know, go easy on them? You were kinda lettin' her kick your butt in that fight."

"Pity, mostly." He spoke, reloading his own firearms. "Due to the actions of us and the other Plumbers she and her family have yet to accomplish a good job…they're all siblings though I believe Eighteight is the eldest one. She tries to look after her brothers and sister at all costs; putting herself on the line for that paycheck."

"Dang…that's heavy- wait sister?"

"There's one of them called Twotwo; she's far too young to ever be a threat to the Plumbers."

"Ah…and…also why don't you have one of those number names too?"

"It's a reward for passing the rite of passage; given based on your family and your performance. I failed; choosing the name Tarator before setting off to become a Plumber. Besides, it's never mandatory to have a numerical dualizing name."

"Huh…though I never really did like ask deeply…why a Plumber?"

"Tradition is the corpse of wisdom," He spoke, Menct being the one to glance over to him. "Tradition holds back progression; it holds back evolution and the movement to a better world. The same can be said for the Sotoraggians; we stick so closely to our paths of hunting and exterminating life for money that we're unable to truly see our abilities could be used to make the universe safer for all; why hunt for money when the Plumber funding could vastly change our planet to a suitable, happy one as opposed to the dark, drab place it is now. That, Ben Tennyson, is why I became a Plumber; I want to restore my people to their rightful glory…and I want us to evolve to overcome all faults."

Menct listened to all of this, and let that sink in…his words.

" _Tradition is the corpse of wisdom…"_

Were the Aluneca the same? Their faith and tradition was to always discredit and disgrace the Half-Breeds; to wipe out the faulty bloodline and remove them from existence for their impure and failed DNA…that was the tradition Spheros relied on so much, and it was why so many Half-Breeds either never even took their first breath before being slaughtered. He got lucky; he was born off-world and returned to Spheros when he came of age to become a Guardian…and was only made a mockery of before being sent off in that ship to die.

Maybe one day, with the Plumber's help, he could give the Pure-Breeds the same treatment, and finally bury that corpse, along with those who still tried to worship and keep it exposed to the rest of the universe.

The Aluneca snapped from his thoughts; a metal _**bang**_ behind him told him that a metal blastdoor was slammed down behind him. Ahead he could see Eighteight and Attea; the other two must've gone off to pursue his friends.

"Take these cuffs off me," Vilgax spoke, kneeling so he could speak to Ben directly. "With our numbers, we can easily overpower them, and then we can move on." Menct was…honestly surprised when Ben somehow listened and did so; Vilgax immediately picking him up and lobbing him right for the females before ripping a metal grate open and diving down.

"After him!" Tarator dove down, as did Hauntra and Bella; Menct remaining put and snarling.

They'd get Vilgax one way or another…but he had to defend Ben due to his sheer idiocy.

"Ggggggeeeeetttt…aaaawwwwaaaayyy!" He roared, standing up and grabbing for his E-Handgun; but not before a red blur flicked, and the gun was out of his hand…and it was strangely sticky.

He got his answer when he saw Attea's tongue retracting, and her hand twirling his own blaster.

"Oh, ain't dis a neat lil' gun," She aimed the gun at Menct's head, grinning as she did. "Should just waste you for what happened with the Gourmands…buuttt…. daddy wants you alive. Eighteight, restrain him." The Sotoraggian female moved in a flash, clawed fingers digging into Menct's armored torso and sending shocks of pain through him; the girl shifting to plant herself on his shoulders as her clawed fingers dug _right_ through his armor, purple blood welling up and trickling out. Her position meant he was stuck on the ground, knelt on a knee, trying to fight the pain off as she wrenched her fingers around, opening more wounds and cutting him deeper.

"Now, I'm offer'n yous the once in a lifetime chance," Attea spoke, standing right in front of the Aluneca, pressing the E-Handgun to his bare and exposed neck, finger resting on the trigger; Eighteight moving her hand to tug his helmet off and once and plunge him into the blurred world he always saw…the one he feared more than anything. "You can eitha go wit' me, or I waste a bug righ here and righ now."

"…nnnevvveerr…" Menct's mandibles clicked, eyeless gaze meeting hers. "I…am a…Plummmber…and I…refuse to…submit!" Her finger tightened on the trigger, and a sudden lurch pulled her away from him; a green vine-like hand grasping Attea's waist and dragging him away from him.

Ben stood there, as Wildvine, using his vined arm to pull Attea away and slam her into the ground; rendering her unconscious. Eighteight reached for her own blaster and pressed it to Menct's neck, a way to communicate that if Ben attacked, she'd fire.

Menct had other ideas.

He stood up, despite the wrenching pain of her claws dug into his torso, the Sotoraggian female being caught off guard before he slammed himself into the wall, doing so rapidly to shake her off before he managed to tug her off and lob her at the wall, despite that causing her to literally rip some of his chitin free and cause his blood to openly trickle out. She managed to fire seven times before Ben slammed her into the ground as well; Menct slumping against the wall when he felt the wounds welling up on his leg, his arm bleeding as well and his chest still wounded. Even his side was wounded, though at least it wasn't openly bleeding like he did on the other planet.

"Woah…you don't look so good." Ben muttered, Menct still trying to stand up despite the numerous wounds he had. "J-Just take it easy…let's take it slow so you don't risk hurting yourself further—"

"Viiilllgaaaxxx…" He spoke, picking his helmet up and sliding it on. "He…must be captured…I'll…bbbbeeee ffffiiinnnneee…"

He was lying; if he didn't find Bella or some food soon he'd end up at the point he was on Peptos, and this time evac wasn't on the eve.

* * *

Ben walked in front of Menct, often darting his head back to check on Menct and make sure he was still okay.

Okay being a relative term; he was often supporting himself on the walls, trying to fight off the overwhelming pain and keep moving.

"Menct, you sure you don't like…need a minute? You're bleeding a lot…"

"Nooo….tttiiiimmmeee…"

"I get that but, catching Vilgax isn't worth you practically killing yourself! Just…don't overexert yourself; maybe that'll help you stay calm and recover." He glanced ahead, thinking for a moment. "Now if I know Vilgax, he'd be heading for the Hangar to steal a ship there…if we beat him there we can set a trap and wait for him. Thankfully that place isn't too far away from where we are." He walked ahead, and Menct followed as best he could, but even he was having a hard time suppressing himself once again…suppressing the hunger and instinct.

He was bleeding out; he had to feed soon to restore himself…why didn't he just eat Attea? That'd work better for his behalf?!

No! Those thoughts were not what a Plumber would have; he had to be strong, and press on to kill Vilgax and eat his friends-

What? Those thoughts showed up in his mind even before he took a single step…he didn't have a lot of time left on his clock.

He just hoped he could contain Vilgax before those maddened, furious thoughts won out.

The Hangar was reached, and sure enough Menct saw Vilgax there, moving to board a ship…but another harrowing thought was in his view.

His friends.

They all lay sprawled out on the ground; unconscious and out cold but thankfully still alive. Ben didn't even announce himself before he mashed the remote; locking Vilgax's hands together and causing him to slip and fall from the ship; hitting the ground.

"A good look for you Vilgax," Ben chuckled, walking over, glancing around to make sure the area was secure and safe. "But you're not goin' anywhere; once we get you nice and tucked away for good."

"For good's right," Attea stepped out from behind a ship, armed with the E-Handgun Menct had forgotten, aiming it at Vilgax while the other bounty hunters stepped out…Sevenseven being first to toss down the unconscious form of Aquas; much of the team being thrown down to land near the others, even Sarc.

The entire team rested on the ground, sporting injuries, wounds, and other problems…but Menct was overwhelmingly thankful that they were alive.

"Your friends are kinda wimpy, Menct." Attea spoke, smirking as she took in the concerned faces of Ben and Vilgax…Menct's was unseen due to his helmet. "But, good to see I got some leverage of you now." Sevenseven dropped down to hoist Hauntra up, arm rotating and shifting to form a menacing plasma cannon and aim it at her head.

"Now, one more chance, join me and the Incursean Empire, or I start executin' your friends, one by one." Her grin never faded, and Menct was truly backed into a corner. He was far too hurt to really do anything, and even if he did Hauntra would die.

It was a mortifying idea…it was literally throw away all his beliefs and serve a rude princess, or watch his friends die one by one.

 _Not if you kill her…_

A little voice resonated in his head.

 _Eat her, gain her powers…kill all of them…save your friends the only way you know how…_

No! Eating her was out of the question!

"I'm waitin'~" Attea drawled, waving her hand to tell Sixsix to aim his blaster at the out cold form of Yenth. "Maybe I should just kill this guy here; it'd be a whole lot more fun considering he's a dumb mutt—" A sharp crystal flew past, smashing into Sevenseven's arm and damaging the cybernetic limb; Rubiac standing there with his E-Handgun aiming at Attea, firm anger on his face.

"Here's a new deal; all three of you stand down and I don't kill the frog princess here." The mere second they thought he was bluffing he fired, the blast shooting right past Attea's face and nearly seared her skin; causing her to cringe and panic. "That's so you clowns don't think I'm bluffin'. Get the hell away from my team or the next shot's going for that pretty lil' face of hers." The did as asked, Sevenseven and Sixsix stepping away while Rubiac stepped over; tapping Aquas and trying to wake him up…he'd be able to get the others up to speed while they got things taken care of. Ben didn't waste time either, pulling up the Omnitrix's alien selection and turning the device, trying to figure out who to be to help save the day.

He mashed the watch down, and in a green flash he stood as Spidermonkey.

"Huh, well this works-ACK!" He was sent flying when Attea drop kicked him; Menct trying to rise and fight despite his injuries. The most he could do was punch; his fist sending her a short distance away before he collapsed, huffing and panting. He noticed Aquas was up, and the Orishan had moved to get Bella up; the medic working to heal and restore the team…though they'd remain out, they'd be a lot better off when they arose.

Before she could get to Menct, Attea had already pulled some sort of remote out; leveling it with the downed Aluneca.

"Techadon Dissipater!" Rubiac shouted, the crimson blast firing and the Petrosapien threw himself in front of Menct; arms bulked up as he tried to reflect and knock the blast away; grunting in frustration as the blast continued to work…and by the time Bella pulled Menct out the way the unthinkable happened.

The blast passed by Rubiac, and he hit the ground; his entire left arm gone, along with a good portion of his chest.

"RUBIAC!" Aquas was at his side in a mere second, knelt and frantically trying to get his captain up, frantically hoping he'd reform the rest of his body, like most Petrosapiens would when they took critical damage.

…he didn't.

His eye opened after a brief delay, Menct managing to limp over and look down at the captain…trying to figure out why he wasn't healing. He remembered Rubiac mentioned something about a problem with his DNA…did that mean he lacked numerous abilities like the typical Petrosapiens?"

"I can't heal," He finally spoke, coughing, and holding onto the place his arm once was, Menct being the first to see his legs growing weaker…almost brittle; like they were falling apart. "I never had that ability…and a dissipater…tends to be a good enough force to-ugh- break even my kind's crystal bodies…"

In other words, he was dying, right in front of them; Menct being the one to catch and understand this. Hell he was literally _falling apart_ as he spoke; his time short and his life soon to come to an end. When Aquas realized this…Menct saw something he never thought he'd witness.

For the first time, even when they faced overwhelming and impossible odds before, Menct witnessed his squad leader finally _break_ from the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Rubiac! You can't die here! We're gonna get you outta here a-and we're gonna get you somewhere you can get fixed," He panted and huffed, Menct seeing he was going through the denial of the fact his leader was about to perish. "…you just c-can't die here…not when I need you most."

"Aquas…" The crystalline arm reached out to pat the mollusk's shoulder, a calm look on his face despite the cold grip of death slowly enveloping him. "It's okay…one way or another this was to happen…remember when you first joined? When I saved you from those invaders?"

"I do, sir…I was just a amateur who didn't know anything and I nearly died…a dumb kid."

"What did I tell you? Do you…still remember?" Menct could see tears openly flowing from his squad leader's eyes…and deep down Menct felt the same despair and sadness.

"No matter what…you'd always be there to protect me and those you cared about."

"Even if I died in the process," Rubiac finished, his torso beginning to crumble away, fading into a clunky dust. "You were like a son to me; I watched you grow up into the leader you were always destined to be…it's funny, had we gotten through this I'd have turned over my positon…to you…under fairer circumstances." He coughed, his torso mostly gone now, remaining arm falling to the ground and falling apart. "You need to be strong right now; your team needs you…keep being that leader you were always meant to be…the captain I knew you would grow into." And with that his head finally rested against the ground…and Rubiac was no more. Menct could hear it, the silent sobs and mournful cries of his leader…and then she spoke.

"My, this part always has me so amused…when they grovel and cry about their friend dying." Attea spoke, snapping her fingers to command the Sotoraggians to take aim. "Glad he's gone…now for the rest of you—"

A hellish scream pierced the air, and everyone fell silent. Menct's mandibles were twitching, clicking together with a maddened pace; his hands reaching to rip his helmet off before he turned to Vilgax; not wasting a second before he sunk his teeth into the warlord's arm. He didn't even have time to shout in agony; Menct got what he needed.

And then he grew.

His armor splintered and fell off save for his shorts, his body growing, and soon he was the same size as Vilgax; chitin gaining phlegm green markings along it before tendrils erupted from back, waving and coursing around his fin. The worst part was, Menct wasn't done yet; his clawed hands picking up one of the remaining crystals that used to comprise Rubiac, and he bit down on it.

In a flash the same cyan crystals erupted from his arms, back, and tail; forming spikes made from the nigh unbreakable element before the Aluneca roared again.

He obeyed his instinct, but for only one cause. He wanted the princess to pay, and he wanted to avenge his friend who died.

 **He would make her pay dearly for killing his captain!**

His roar pierced the air and he charged right for her; Sixsix putting himself in the way and firing his blasters; the shots bouncing off Menct's new chitin harmlessly before he was grabbed; the Aluneca hurling him with full force into the wall, leaving a major dent in it. His tentacles all rose along his back, and each of them had a sharpened, crystalline tip, that all lashed out; Attea rolling to the side as each of them pierced the ground like a bullet through tissue. Sevenseven attacked shortly after; his blasts doing the same before he shifted tactics; donning his electrified brass knuckles and slamming them into Menct's head; repeating the process a fervent amount.

For a moment, it looked to have an effect, but of course the maddened Aluneca only stood up and grabbed onto both Sevenseven's arms, claws digging into the metal and flesh before Menct did the unthinkable.

He yanked to the sides, and off came the Sotoraggian's arms!

Cries of agony resonated from Sevenseven before Menct's tail smashed into him, sending him into the ground and rendering him unconscious from a mix of shock and agony; the Aluneca rapidly digging into the cybernetically enhanced limbs to find the flesh, eating it like a starved animal would.

His form changed again, two smaller arms forming on his shoulders, with the same claws he tore into the bounty hunter with. Eighteight open fired for Menct's head, making a frantic series of calls to the Incursean.

"Run?! Why would I run from dis—" She got her answer when Eighteight was snatched up, and slammed into the ground, the force being enough to rock the entire room. It didn't take a genius to see several limbs were battered and broken…Menct was out of control; he was blinded by a toxic mix of his natural Alunecan Instinct and the thirst for revenge.

And like that Attea got the picture…Menct wanted her.

She turned on her heel and sprinted away; Menct following after her on all fours. She could hear the rapid beats of his claws on the metal, and the howling roars that followed. She rounded a corner, and he damn near slammed into it, roaring again before following her.

It was a frantic goose chase; the longer she ran down the same path, the quicker he'd build momentum, and catch up to her. For the first time in her life…Attea felt something she never thought she'd ever have the bitter displeasure of feeling.

Fear. Raw, unaltered, primal fear. Menct wasn't trying to take her down to arrest her; he wanted to _kill_ her; to kill, consume, and take her genes…to erase her from existence.

If she was caught, then there was truly no hope for her.

"Menct!" Fourarms slammed into the Aluneca; standing between Attea and the beast that once was a sane and noble Plumber. "Snap outta it; don't kill her! If you do, you're no better than her or any of those Incurseans! Don't stoop to their level—" Menct's fist already launched, the Tetramand catching it with some effort, his other arms lifting to grasp the limb and smash Menct into the floor. "Don't make me do this Menct..." He warned, but it was to no avail; the Aluneca already lunging again. The battle was one sided; Fourarms retaining the advantage each time Menct struck.

Reason being; Menct was akin to a maddened, fury-fueled beast, let alone an actual sapient creature…he lost his mind and because of that he was extremely predictable.

"Menct!" Aquas called out, standing at the end of the hall with the rest of the team…though many had a hard time believing the beast Ben was fighting was their friend. "Snap out of it! Don't do this!" Sarc's bandages already launched, snapping around Menct's limbs and holding him back, everyone else moving into action to try and restrain their friend…to stop him from making a mistake he'd never be able to take back and regret. After a large struggle, they managed to wrangle him to the ground, Yenth and Tarator pinning his arms down while Veele and Bella pinned his legs, Frogert being the unlucky one to keep his flailing tail pinned to the ground.

"Ben, there has to be a way to snap Menct out of this," Aquas spoke, watching the creature's maw snap around, aiming his fury towards Attea. "Any ideas?"

"…just one…" And with that the Omnitrix timed out, Ben flicking the dial and switching to someone else…a small blue skinned pixie creature.

"…you're kidding, right?" Aquas muttered; the tiny creature shaking his head.

"Pesky Dust can get into people's heads pretty well," The voice's annoyance only served to make Menct much worse. "Maybe I can use that ability to get into Menct's head so I can snap him outta this." And with that Ben flicked his tiny arms, spreading the gold dust over Menct's head and thus, rendering him unconscious.

The real fight began without delay…to get the Menct back everyone knew and loved.

* * *

Darkness…it was everywhere. Was he in the unseen world again, the place he couldn't ever tread with fear. Menct felt his feet touch down on solid ground; looking about rapidly…trying to determine where he was…

…and…what he was doing; all he remembered was Rubiac dying in front of him…and then…darkness. He remembered giving in to his predatory instinct, and wanting to kill Attea…he had to evade this shadowy realm and return so he could finish her off.

"Menct," He perked up, turning to look at the only other being there…the one who perished.

"Rrrruuuubbbbiiiacc?" He asked, the Petrosapien standing there, arms crossed. "Bbbuutttt…you…."

"Died? I did…but what's going on out there's the problem. You're becoming everything the Plumbers struggled for years to defeat and fight; a monster without remorse nor mercy. That's now how I trained you Menct, you're better than that." The Aluneca did cringe at his captain's words…even when he was dead it still hurt. "There's still time to snap out of things…to get your mind together and to snap outta that fury you're going through."

"Buut…she killed you." He finally spoke. "Iiii…waaaaannnnttteedd…too avvennngeee…"

"Murdering her in cold blood isn't avenging her Menct; it just makes you worse than her. You're a strong person; the things you've done exceeded all forms of expectations. Every time you go into a fight, you bring your best and do everything you can to save your friends. Normal Aluneca, from what we've learned, are blood thirsty warlords who keep their own galaxy in bondage just to preserve a shambled peace…you're not like them. They said you're defective and a half breed, I say you're different kid. You learn, you grow, you laugh, and even love; you defend the things you care about more than anything. Don't prove you're like them…don't prove that you're like those monsters. Be who you wanna be."

"I….wanna…beee…Menct." He finally spoke, claws balling into fists.

* * *

"…I…will…be…ME!" Menct shot up, awake at last as he looked around, perplexed and confused. His friends were gone, and the only one with him now was Max, the aged Plumber knelt next to him while Bella assessed and checked his wounds.

"Easy son…you're okay."

"What…happen?" Even his speech improved…maybe giving into his instinct made speaking a tad easier; Menct had no real idea to go on for that. Max sighed, moving back so Menct could stand up.

"Well, Attea and the bounty hunters got away…as did Vilgax. When Attea attacked Ben the remote controlling his cuffs fell; a stomp later and the cuffs powered down. He used your distraction to get away, after knocking Ben out when he came after him…the rest just got out while you were down."

"It…my…fault?"

"No; Rubiac's death…well that'd make anyone snap; thankfully the worst you did was maim someone, but no one was killed; on both fronts."

"Where…team?"

"In a ship waiting on you; Frogert managed to lower the blackout field and get a message out to me. So go ahead and pick your armor up…at least the helmet; that's all that was intact." Menct nodded and started walking, returning to the hangar and…seeing the destruction he caused in his blind fury. He didn't even know he was capable of such raw power…especially with his instincts in control.

He could still hear the pained scream Sevenseven let out when the Aluneca ripped his arms off…how painful it sounded…and how much Eighteight tried to defend her brothers…for that instant there _he_ was the bad guy, and he was the monster.

He would never let that happen again…the sight of Sevenseven's arms laying on the ground nearby were a stern reminder that he had a breaking point, and when he got close to reaching it he needed to withdraw from combat.

Menct picked his helmet up and slid it on, but not before noticing…something; an Audio Log was left in there that was never there to begin with. Curious, he managed to find his gauntlet and tap it, thankful the control panel wasn't broken from when he doubled in size, nearly.

The log played…and the gnarled voice told Menct in seconds Vilgax was speaking…he left him a log.

" _Seems I was right to be wary of your kind, bug. You've proven to be exactly as I thought you'd be; a dangerous creature to rival the likes of even my own people! But, I should thank you; were it not for your idiocy and blind wrath, I'd have not been able to escape…so I shall leave you with some parting information. The message your friend decoded, the Incursean…he was wrong. I didn't say the Incurseans were coming after me, although in hindsight I saw it coming a literal mile away…I said they were coming for Earth. Did you think that all your meddling and interfering would not incite them enough to just lead a full-frontal campaign towards Earth itself? Hah! I'll be safe elsewhere, waiting for them to thin the herd…and then once they've taken over and removed all of you fools, I'll make my own approach. I tell you this because you've demonstrated you're a threat…I could always use a new challenge to beat. So, I expect you to survive this war…I want to kill you myself, Aluneca."_

The log stopped after that. No words could describe the sheer…well…fear Menct had. Vilgax essentially forewarned of an entire invasion coming; no idea of the when but it was defiantly coming! He had to warn his friends; warn EVERYONE! He took off as quick as he could, running as quickly as he could to get to the ship to return home.

This went from bad to severely worse in less than a millisecond.

* * *

"You failed me, daughter of mine!" Emperor Millieous was infuriated, glaring down at his daughter even while holographic. "With their leader alive and well, the Vilgaxians put up too much of a fight for me to fight! We had to retreat and pull back before any more of our soldiers died down there!"

"I'm sorry; that Tennyson kid was there along with his Aluneca buddy, we were overwhelmed!"

"Oh _, that_ guy's still around?! I thought I said draw him to our forces?"

"I tried! That ting's got too much of that willpowah crap; even when he had a gun point'd at his head and a hole in his chest he still said no!"

"Dang it…means we're gonna have to get serious…we gotta find a way to get an Aluneca…and I think I know just what." The screen switched off, and Attea was left with her thoughts, especially with what happened when she managed to kill one of them…Sevenseven lost his arms but she didn't really care too much about that; they could just graft some more cybernetics for him and he'd be fine.

But for the first time she came close to actually dying…had Tennyson not been a moment earlier she'd be a mess on the floor…

…somewhere in her mind, Attea wondered what'd happen if Menct took on too much Incursean DNA…what'd happen then?

To Be Continued…

* * *

(And so, we see Menct at some of his full power; a harrowing thought to see all of Azmuth's words applied to Menct at last. I did have an idea regarding another story in the Ben 10 Universe but…I'll work on things and consider applying it later along with Menct's story; we're reaching the end of this one anyhow. I did change up a lot of events in response to Menct's existence…including Sevenseven's dismemberment. I did have the other story idea involving a Sotoraggian since really Ben 10 has a severe lack of cool reptile species in their world...not that the Merlinisapien or the Vaxasaurian are pleasing they just don't seem that…well equipped for weapons. So stay tuned; I'll be working on that story along with Menct's since I want at least one story to be a lengthy one before being listed as COMPLETE for .)


	11. The War Cometh

The entire Plumber base was on high alert; in a state of constant work and even panic. It had been at least a week since Vilgax's audio log to Menct was heard by Magister Tennyson. Because of that he ordered an entire state of emergency…preparations for war.

If the log was right, the Incurseans would come at full force; one big blitzkrieg of sheer might to take Earth and destroy the Plumbers. It'd be a gamble; they had no foothold in the system so if they were pushed back, they'd be able to survive the onslaught.

But still…the hardest part was knowing _when_ the frogs would attack…when they would bring havoc and hell to the Earth.

* * *

"Guys…now what?" Yenth asked everyone, the team present in the boardroom…the very same one they saw Rubiac alive and well for the last time before…the mission. The air was heavy with grief and sadness; he didn't even get a proper funeral…there was no time. Aquas spoke up, taking his place at the front of the table, fists clenched and doing his best to put the depression out of mind…to do his damned job.

"We keep fighting, Yenth." He spoke, tone stern and deep, drawing everyone's attention. "The Incurseans are coming to Earth and will be here any day now…Undertown already evacuated the mere second they knew the frogs were coming and Ben right now is dealing with the crowd of humans upset and infuriated over the info of aliens living among them. When the frogs come, we gotta hit them hard, and—"

The alarms went off suddenly, and when the screen flickered the entire team saw why. The screen showed a clear view of the boundaries beyond Earth…and they could see dozens of Incursean ships rapidly approaching Earth, along with a massive, imposing Flagship…that was where the Emperor was no doubt.

"…time…to fight…" Menct spoke, rising and balling his hands into fists, clad in his armor from before; repaired and restored. "Time…to…WIN." He roared, everyone standing along with him, Aquas grabbing for his communicator.

"Then we best get started; once this siege's over we're gonna get some smoothies, on me." Yenth and Frogert both cried out in joy at the notion of that. Maxwell's voice projected into Menct's HUD, the Aluneca paying full attention to the man to hear what needed to be done.

"Menct, you and your team need to get moving to the surface yesterday! We got a shield up to block the Incurseans from getting in but they're piercing through slowly; some small ships have already managed to get through and breach the planet. You need to get to the anti-air guns and take them down before we can get them automatically powered up."

"Why were they manual anyhow?!" Yenth exclaimed in the link, Menct wincing from the shrill voice.

"Because we had to divert _all_ power to hold the Incurseans back, Yenth; if that flagship gets down here we're doomed. We'll have no real way to repel that thing, especially with that planet cracking beam it can fire. The sooner we shake them off the sooner we can survive this attack." Nodding to the aged man's words, Menct started moving along with the rest of Epsilon Squad, ascending various levels before finally reaching the roads above the base. Already they could see a green tint to the sky; a means to tell them all that the shield was up…but it wouldn't hold forever with how fervent the Incurseans were to break in.

"The Anti-Air guns are lined all over Bellwood; there's others across the world but other Plumber teams are tending to those," Max's voice resonated in Menct's helm, as the Aluneca already started walking when several yellow blips showed up in his HUD. "There's a total of six you all need to activate and man until we can divert enough power to keep them automatic. From the reports, I've been told a few ships managed to breach the shield…take them down fast and quick before any other frogs get any funny ideas."

"Yeesss…" Menct watched his team split up; the Aluneca taking up his E-Handgun and moving on all fours. The closest Anti-Air gun was atop a…Mr. Smoothie's.

While it was dumb, Menct was just glad it meant he didn't have far to go, the Aluneca leaping up onto the large smoothie sign and pressing his badge down on the Omnitrix emblem atop it. The entire sign rattled before soon opening up, forming a large pair of white and green twin cannons, the seat being equipped with a large screen in front of it already displaying the targeting reticle. Menct clambered into the seat and gripped the controls, HUD syncing with the targeting systems and already pinging an Incursean ship in the distance…they breached over Bellwood it seemed.

Good, Menct wanted to silence a few of them.

His thumbs squeezed the triggers and white hot plasma fire erupted from the lengthy barrels; peppering the Incursean ship and causing its right side to explode, the wreckage impacting the ground and exploding further. Menct noticed another one, and he open fired again; the same results happening only more violent and explosive.

"Menct, come in," Aquas said, Menct perking up and mashing his hand down on his COM-Device. "What's your status?"

"Fffffiiiinnnnee….hossstttilllless ddddoooowwwwwnnnn."

"Good to hear; anyhow Magister Tennyson ordered all Plumbers stationed in Bollywood to return back to HQ…he told me that one way or another that shield was going to fall despite our best efforts. He wants us to help lead a makeshift offensive against the flagship; the guns should be about ready to fire by now so c'mon and run back." Menct was hesitant…but he had no true choice; leaping off the gun and watching it automatically aim at numerous things. Menct was beginning to see that indeed this was a war; the Incurseans were bringing a full offensive army and they didn't plan to rest until the world was destroyed…

…the problem is Menct really didn't know how dedicated or hell-bent they were on this plan.

* * *

"So, are we all set?" Aquas asked the large team, Yenth and Frogert working to load a few crates filled with spare ammo onto a Plumber ship; much of the team present to listen to the mollusk speak. "This could be our most dangerous mission ever…participating in a major raid of the Incursean flagship."

"Run this by me again though," Tarator spoke, clipping his rifle to his back. "Our mission is to attack the flagship and fleet along with the other Plumbers, keep off the enemy from Ben's own vessel, and ensure he defeats the emperor?"

"We've gone up against Incurseans yeah but we've yet to ever contend with the head honcho of the Incurseans himself; Emperor Milleous didn't get to be the Incursean Emperor through a damned raffle; he fought and killed to get where he is. Fighting someone with that much ferocity could be dangerous, even if we're together."

"Yeah but…here's an idea." Frogert said, setting down a crate and huffing in response. "We could-ack- go in _with_ Ben. I can hack into Incursean COMs and even get us a safe passage into the flagship without them knowing. We can walk right up to Milleous and force a surrender from him."

"…Frogert…did you listen to a word I said? Milleous isn't a push-over like the Incurseans we've fought. He and those with him will expect an inside job…the only way we can make your plan work is if we can secure an Incursean ship to sneak in with…and…we blew those up with the AA guns."

"Weeee….tttttrrrryyyyy…." Menct finally spoke up, taking up what looked to be some sort of laser minigun. "He….mussst be….stopped." The Aluneca's words were sincere. Based on the frog's track record, he literally _always_ had a trick up his sleeve that could turn the tides of a battle to his favor…and this was no doubt the same. He could have a planet destroying bomb onboard the flagship that'd explode the mere second the ship crashed, he could have some sort of weapon that'd instantly eradicate the Plumber forces, he could even have some sort of being present to do his bidding; nothing was to be removed when dealing with the Emperor.

They needed to hit him first, and make it count.

"Menct, are you sure you want us to go after Milleous directly?" Aquas asked, much of the team already inside the ship, awaiting takeoff. "Because doing so is…well essentially going against orders. We could face demotion, hell even incarceration for something like this. I need to know now if risking everything is truly worth it." Menct did think on all of this…the others would, at the very worst, just be imprisoned for a short time for disobeying orders like this but the Aluneca…he could be given worse. He knew the Galvan Azmuth was…wary of him; Menct was also well aware that he could try and not only have Menct imprisoned, but exiled due to something like this…he bore the greatest threat and yet he was the most determined.

Menct nodded his head. This was worth everything…they had to go in and do something.

They had to give their own final effort to save not only Earth, but possibly the whole galaxy from the Incursean rule.

* * *

The ship filled in with the others, Frogert manning the controls as best he could while everyone else geared up and made sure their weapons were charged and properly primed for battle. Bella ensured her field medical kit was prepared, Sarc meditated in the corner, and Tarator tuned his energy knives; eager to pierce a frog's head. Menct slipped his helmet on and watched the HUD tune to match the current firearm he had equipped; the lengthy energy based assault rifle resting comfortably on his back. Through the glass canopy the blackness of space greeted him…and the purple flashes in the distance already told him of the battle waging on. They were late yes, but they weren't out; Frogert gripping the controls and jerking both sticks backwards, flying upwards to follow an ally ship into the dogfight waging on over the planet's surface. The shield had long since fallen…and that was the plan; they needed to push the Incurseans back before they could make contact with Earth.

"Every single Plumber ship, open fire at the flagship!" Max's face appeared on a screen situated in the dashboard. "If we cripple it they'll retreat; none of them are willing to fight without their Emperor."

"Yes sir, and the best part is already know where to aim." Frogert mashed his thumbs down on the triggers, lime green lasers peppering an Incursean ship that got too close. The looming flagship gradually got closer and closer, Aquas took a deep breath, taking up his own E-Rifle and approaching the hatch.

"Everyone, change your COMs over to the private one; we're doing the solo operation."

"Solo operation?" Veele asked, adjusting her own helmet and doing as asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"He means we're going in to attack the frog directly." Tarator confirmed, sheathing his dagger and ensuring his COM was switched before doing as asked. "We're following Ben Tennyson inside of the flagship and going to assist him directly in taking the emperor down."

"Whoa whoa; what the hell do you guys mean?!" Yenth asked, back to his paranoid state as usual. "Weren't our orders to stick with the rest of the guys and help hold the Incurseans back—"

"I know what our damned orders were, Yenth." Aquas snapped, clenching his fist and letting a breath of air escape him. "I know what _my_ orders were…but even where we are now I'm seeing how this'll turn out in the end." He gestured out the window, to the scallions of Incursean ships zooming around, some managing to bring down Plumber ships in a hail of explosive death. "We're outnumbered at least a hundred to one; they have countless soldiers, countless bodies to throw at us while we have limited resources and extremely limited amounts of soldiers. If we keep this desperate effort up…none of us will survive the war. If we don't do something drastic soon, then they'll no doubt touch down on Earth and manage to destroy everything we hold near and dear. As your captain, I'm refusing to let that happen. When Rubiac died in front of me, I promised I'd ensure that no one went through the same agonizing pain I did when I lost my damned father…that means Earth as well. We're Epsilon Squad, the god damned best of the best the Plumbers have to offer! We're gonna go in there, force Milleous off his throne, and save this whole god damned galaxy, or at the very least die trying." At the Orishan's nod, Frogert slowly turned the control sticks, causing the ship to gradually turn to the side and cruise ever so slowly towards the Flagship.

"What are the odds of us coming back from this mission?" Tarator asked, holding his E-Handgun. "What are the chances of us pulling this off?"

"A helluva lot less than that on Peptos, or Hathor. Once were in there's no other way to get out aside from either competing our mission…or dying, unless we can jury rig one of the Incursean ships and pilot it back without getting hit by our own boys. If anyone wants to back out, let me know; I'll arrange for that as best I can…but if we don't do something, everyone everywhere dies." Not a single person raised their hands. "…I'm honored to have teammates like you…hell…I'm honored to call you all my friends. We stuck by one another, for better or worse, and we made it out time and time again…but I fear that luck we have could finally run out, and when it does I want you to all know, I'm proud of you guys."

"Likewise to you, sir." Hauntra said, Menct able to see tears steadily flowing down her face…those weren't tears of inspiration no; they were of fear.

She was scared of dying…she was scared of this mission being a failure, and them all perishing alone and cold in the darkness of space. Bella's hand squeezed the girl's, giving her a small nod to not only reassure her…but confirm that she wasn't the only one scared.

"Frogert…how long until they start firing at us?"

"Twenty seconds; with our distance from the other Plumber ships they'll be able to concentrate more fire onto us and try and take us down."

"Understood, no matter what happens you _don't_ slow down…punch us right into the hangar and get us inside." The plasma fire already started, and Menct's COM exploded with warnings and shouts from other Plumbers, telling them to retreat and pull back.

He ignored them…this was for the greater good.

The purple plasma fire ripped one of the wings of the ship clean off; everyone grasped onto something and held on for dear life while Frogert did his best to get them where they were needed…to get where they needed to go.

"Guys, we're not gonna make it…" He warned, both wings clipped and the ship flying with the momentum the jets created before they were blown off. Sarc finally looked up, stern eyes focused before he rose to his complete height.

"We'll make it." Was all he spoke, before the ship collided with the purple metal of the hangar, skidding across the ground and crushing hapless Incurseans before it finally came to a standstill.

Menct was first to dive out the hatch, landing on the cold ground and firing at an Incursean who survived, taking him down without mercy. The hangar was sealed up and the ship was down…there was no escaping.

"Helluva landing." Aquas spoke, dropping out and shaking himself off. "Alright, we're splitting into teams for this one. Frogert, how good are you at reprogramming Incursean tech?"

"Like…so so."

"Close enough; you and Sarc get one of the ships we didn't destroy up and running. Veele, you, Hauntra and Yenth keep them covered and kill anyone or anything that tries to interfere. The rest of you are with Menct and I; we're storming that throne room and we're finishing this mission." He already made his way to the door, Menct being the first to pick up on the sounds of approaching Incurseans.

"I give you my word…we're all making it out alive…Rubiac said this to me once…and I don't plan to end my story the same way…"

* * *

Another Incursean splattered against the wall, Menct letting out a savage roar as he stepped over the body. He, Aquas, Tarator, and Bella had been on a desperate campaign for a good long while, running through halls filled with Incurseans while open firing and taking them down. Menct's armor sported a series of slashes and burns from taking stray hits but he remained active; taking cover behind a corner as two Incurseans open fired. Tarator popped out from the makeshift cover and fired quickly; the scavenged Incursean Blasters being enough to kill them both.

"We need to hurry; sooner or later they'll realize we're here…and then it'll hit the fan officially." Menct did show some concern as Tarator walked ahead, limping the entire way. Earlier he had gotten peppered trying to protect Bella…even with his armor he took several shots and despite the medical treatment the damages were clearly showing. If he continued to overexert himself, death would come faster than anticipated for the Sotoraggian.

"Gooooo….baaaacccckkkk…" Menct spoke, the Sotoraggian glancing back to him. "Yoooouuu…bleeeedddddiiiinnng."

"Menct, I've had worse; I'm fine."

"Tarator, head on back." Aquas cut in, reloading his E-Rifle and shouldering it. "You're doing good but you got shot at least seven times giving Bella cover…even with that power armor you wear I know you're bleeding under there."

"Sir, I'm fine-"

"And I say you're not…look you're too important to lose here; hell you're all too important to lose. Menct and I can go on ahead; you return back and give the others some covering fire as Frogert gets that ship up and running. Bella, you too."

"But what happens if either of you get injured out here? Neither of you are super soldiers—"

"We don't need to be; we just need to get tactical and get focused…besides," He pointed out the window, the dogfight waging on and the view of Earth growing larger gradually. "We're not exactly with a lot of time to argue. I'd rather just risk as little as possible for a mission like this. At least this way if push comes to shove you all can escape if it hits the fan harder than anticipated." Menct saw concern continue to radiate on Bella's face…but…not before a door opened and an Incursean soldier sprung out, managing to fire once before Menct snapped his neck in a flash.

Bella was against the wall, panting and huffing, Tarator atop her, as smoke rose from the smoldering hole on his chest where he took another shot for her; the skin seared and the blood already oozing from the wound made.

"You need…to stop being so careless…" He breathed, placing his clawed hand over the wound to keep pressure on it…odds are a lung was impacted, and he'd need medical treatment ASAP.

"See, that shit right there's why you two need to get moving now. The way back should be cleared but if you don't go now the next guy might manage to hit closer to home." Wordlessly, Bella complied, managing to crawl out from under the Sotoraggain and hook her arms underneath his armpits, dragging him across the floor and back to the hangar; pistol in hand just in case she came across anything.

"Let's move…they'll get back in one piece, I know it." Menct was…disturbed.

Aquas sounded unsure there…typically the Orishan was always sure of things.

* * *

Menct smashed through another door, running as fast as possible while Aquas followed behind, taking shots at any frogs they missed. The Aluneca let out another roar before open firing at a horde of Incurseans guarding a set of double doors; all six hitting the floor and giving the duo the chance to approach the doors…Aquas managed to pinpoint exactly what they were once they were close enough.

"If I can remember from the Hathor mission," He said, eyes drifting to the scanner next to said door. "Then this is where Milleous is hiding. Once we're through here Menct it's do or die; the Emperor's best could be waiting to kill us…if push comes to shove, I need you to get out of here and run to the others…I don't wanna die like Rubiac but if it comes down to it…I'll gladly die to ensure we win this war." He spoke, rubbing his clawed finger along the console.

"Iiiii….refussseee." Menct spoke, reloading his rifle and shouldering it, crossing his arms defiantly. "I…won't…leave you…we're a team…and as such…I will fight." Aquas only chuckled in response.

"Classic Menct…like all the other missions you always fought to your last breath 'n still managed to come back from those somehow. I can't even begin to count the amount of times I thought you were dead…like with Looma, or from that wound on Hathor, or hell; on Peptos when you came back pretty much half dead yet just…refusing to die. Before we even met you, I didn't know where the squad and I'd go…probably on clean-up duty for other Plumbers or even worse, guard duty in random places. But, thanks to you, we're the best of the best; Max Tennyson calls upon us for even the harshest mission because he knows you'll be there to save us all when the time came." Another laugh left Aquas, his head slowly shaking. "In all fairness…I don't deserve to be captain…you do. If it wasn't for you, the Tetramands'd have conquered Earth, Hathor would belong to the Incurseans, and the frog princess out there would have managed to kill Vilgax and strengthen her people's resolve. That's why, if we survive this, I want you to lead the squad from here on out." Menct…didn't know what to say. He'd be the leader of the team…that sort of responsibility he didn't think he was capable of. Before he could speak up, they heard a rush of movement; both of them drawing their guns and aiming down the hall.

"Whoa, chill guys! It's just us!" The form of a Tetramand came into view; the Omnitrix emblem on his belt showing it was Ben, along with Rook, Menct lowering his gun in response to the reveal. "How'd you two get here? I thought Rook was the only one dumb enough to crash the Proto-TRUK into the dang flagship." Menct could see some irritation flare up on his partner's face.

"We crashed on purpose," Aquas spoke up, returning his gaze to the console next to the bulkhead doors. "We knew an aerial assault against the airship with limited Plumber forces would inevitably lead to us losing, and Earth being taken. So, my team and I staged an assault of the flagship alone."

"And here I thought _I_ was the only reckless hero…where's…the rest of your friend's anyhow?" Ben shifted back to his normal form after the Omnitrix timed out, though Menct could hear him swear to himself regarding the apparent Randomizer function.

"Back in the hangar; covering it and ensuring we have a way out of here. Suicide mission or not, I still want my men to escape this ship after the frog emperor is dealt with."

"Good, thought something happened to 'em…so…any ideas how to get in? The Omnitrix's acting weird so—" Menct's claws dug into the door, barely piercing it before the Aluneca extended both arms; the energy blades materializing before he rammed them into the doors again, watching smoke rise in response to the attack. His arms twisted; slowly but surely he started to force the doors apart, bit by bit!

"…Menct's more than reckless…he makes Kevin look tactical…" Ben muttered, rubbing his face but smirking when the doors were forced open.

"Well well well…seems youse finally arrived to see Earth's doom." The croakish, gravelly voice of the Emperor resonated; Menct squeezing the trigger of his gun in three rapid bursts to kill the Incursean pilots who attempted to stand. Ben looked away but Aquas ignored it…he was numbed to the carnage caused today.

"I think you have it wrong; this _your_ doom, not Earth's." The handgun was leveled with his head, the Orishan taking slow steps and keeping the gun on the frog. "Call off your forces and surrender, or I'll paint the wall with your damned blood."

"Such language! Well, makes sense consider'n non'va got any sense…Glukos…dispose of them." A sudden shard impacted the gun; sending it clattering from Aquas' hand as the Emperor's friend came into light.

Menct was, for the most part, absolutely disturbed.

Glukos was another Aluneca!

He looked close to Menct in look but his muscles were less defined and slimmer, head being more like that of a grasshopper's compared to Menct's own form. His chitin was a merger between emerald and copper, and he wore only a pair of black pants; a pair of insect-like wings fluttering on his back. His own tail, much longer and tipped with a hooked sickle for a blade, tapped at the ground…as he lowered his right arm; coated in cyan, crystalline spikes.

Those were of a Petrosapien…he…ate one?!

"Menct, is that a friend?" Rook asked, to which the Aluneca hastily shook his head, taking up arms.

"Me? A friend to a mere halfbreed," This one had a clickish tone to his voice, a rumbling laugh leaving him moments later as the crystals along his arm receded and the chitin returned to the same tone as the rest of his body. "How primitive! I am Glucousian…but…the frog has deemed it better to refer to me as Glukos." His five fingered arms crossed over his chest, tail swishing the ground while he stared down the heroes. "These Plumbers really _are_ pathetic if they let a Half-breed join their ranks."

"What gives though man! Aren't you supposed to be some sort of peacekeeper where you come from?" Ben shouted, trying to rapidly get the Omnitrix working, in vain. "A good guy, like us?"

"Not every single Aluneca is a damned goody two shoes like you've been led to believe, boy. Some of us seek power…we seek control…but the Guardians deny us this right; they deem us monsters and lock us on planets with nothing but hellish fire! I had the luxury to be trapped on Pyros…and I use the term luxury a little more loosely than I'd like. But, why control ourselves? We have the power to bring an entire universe to its knees…yet we protect."

"With great power comes great responsibility." Aquas piped in, gun shifting to focus on the enemy Aluneca. "That's how it goes—"

"That's a philosophy created by those without power; a lie beaten into the heads of everyone. Why show cowardice and weakness when you have all the power in the universe?!" His hand lifted, and it gradually deformed and shifted until appeared blocky and multicolored, like that of a Segmentosapien. "I gave in to the temptations long ago…and this one here freed me; letting me gorge myself on those weakest to gain their species' best."

"But…why?" Rook asked, his weapon drawn and primed. "Why serve Milleous then?"

"Serve? Dis guy don' serve me; I'm helpin' him with his own goal as he helps me with mine. Call it a quid pro quo or whatevah the heck it is. He wants a Celestialsapien to feast on…once we get Earth I'll be more dan willin' to help 'im get it." Menct's hands tightened on his weapon in fury. This all was wrong on so many levels…this Aluneca was tainted and corrupt; he was abusing his powers and yet none could stop him.

"But, I suppose our exchange has come to an end…now…face me; I could use a good meal of the Omnitrix wielder." Menct open fired, Glukos' arm shifting to form that of a Conductoid; absorbing the shots before merely firing a single gold beam at Menct; the Aluneca barely dodging.

"Gooo! I killll traitor!" Menct screeched, open firing rapidly before he managed to hit the enemy Aluneca; a burning scar forming along his shoulder from the stray shot.

"Lucky…but I best show why luck pales in comparison to raw power." Both his arms regressed to normal before he lunged; Menct catching his arms and holding them back with his own claws.

And then he watched fire spread along them; the DNA of the Pyronite kicking in. If Menct didn't do something he'd burn and die! His foot rose and planted itself in Glukos' stomach, sending him skidding back; just in time for a sharp roundhouse kick to connect with the back of his head.

"Pick on him, you pick on me." Aquas said, moving to stand next to Menct; fists risen as he took a fighting stance up. Ben and Rook were combating the emperor…this fight was theirs.

"Hmm, no matter…you'll both be dead soon." Yellow, shell like armor coated his form; Glukos rolling into a ball before charging at Menct. The half breed took the hit entirely; slamming into the wall and grunting in pain. Not wasting time, Glukos shifted back and sent his arm into Aquas' chest; the Orishan hitting the wall as well.

"Come now, I'd have thought you'd be at least entertaining…but as you are now this is just poor." Menct rose again, helm cracked but his fury blossoming. Glukos sprang at him, legs spinier like a grasshopper.

Menct's fist crashed into his head, sending him into the ground.

"Hah…that actually hurted…shame it means you perish faster now." Ice shot from his maw, freezing Menct's legs and preventing him from moving. Glukos' hand shot towards his head and Menct's hand clamped down on his forearm, trying to prevent the enemy from grasping his throat.

And then he heard his COM ping; Tarator was talking.

"Aquas, do you report in?" The Orishan's fist smashed into the back of the power-hungry Aluneca's head, causing him to snarl and focus on him. "Yenth and Sarc have been busy."

"How so—" He ducked down to avoid a strike, pulling his firearm out to shoot Glukos in the stomach twice only to wince when the flesh and chitin began to regenerate and heal. "Damnit…anyhow you were saying?"

"They set a series of bombs along the places they figured the thrusters would be; we have about twenty seconds before they explode."

"…and did they even consider that _we're still here_?!" The ship lurched violently; Milleous smashing into Menct and shattering the ice…but…also managing to shatter his leg.

"That crunch noise…I liked the sound of that, now hold still and lemme break the other leg!" He bounded off Menct; the Aluneca managing to stand and send his fist upwards, cracking it against Milleous' head and sending him across the room. His leg began to snap and repair itself; Menct turning just in time for a crystal shard to strike his side, the Aluneca snarling and grabbing the spike, trying to remove it from his form. Glukos' arm shifted back to normal, and before he could strike Menct again the Aluneca ripped the spike from his side and drove it upwards…

…Glukos' other arm grasped Menct's wrist, and a snap later told everyone he broke it.

"You're a worthless halfbreed," He chided, releasing Menct's arm just in time to deliver a sharp punch to his ribs; a bone or two internally snapping from the impact. "So fragile…you can't even heal properly, let alone fight me in combat." He shoved Menct back, the wounded and pained Aluneca dropping to a knee, the agony clouding his thoughts…the hunger screaming at him, telling him to feed and restore himself. "Hell, you can't even heal at all unless you slay someone; my body always recovers no matter what…and the ten species I've consumed made my own DNA perfect compared to your own failed and dying one." His hand clenched around Menct's neck, the Aluneca managing to grasp the other's claw and attempt to prevent him from squeezing…from silencing him once and for all.

"But, now it's time to remove you, for good—" A green laser impacted him, Glukos releasing Menct and staring at Ben. He stood there as Eyeguy, hand smoking from the ocular beam he just fired.

"Get offa my friend, alright ugly? I can do this all day!" Another lurch came, and this time Menct hit the window, the Aluneca able to see just where the ship was.

…the flagship _did_ touch down on Earth, in Bellwood...just it crashed, more or less; thrusters destroyed and many of the ship's defenses powered down. Menct did stand despite the agony; Glukos was focused on Ben now…there was not much he could do. The Aluneca started moving, body healing and bones snapping in place, a shrill roar leaving him before he smashed into the Pure breed; arms locking around his waist and sending them both towards the window. Aquas fired seven shots with his handgun to weaken the window just enough for both Aluneca to fly through the window. Menct already hearing the buzzing noise of Glukos trying to fly; soon to remove Menct and let him fall.

That was why the half breed reached his free hand up, grabbing onto one of Glukos' wings and tearing it clean off, phlegm green blood spurting from the wound before Menct tossed the worthless appendage to the side, letting it fall.

"GGGGGHHHHHAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The scream of Glukos crying in pain filled Menct's airs, and soon both of them continued to tumble to the ground, Menct using the high fall to literally slam the pure breed into the earth and leave a crater within the flagship's from its impact in the park, soon standing up.

"I…am…not...worthless…" His helmet slid off, clattering against the ground. "I…am…Menct." Numerous Plumber ships converged on the location, the rest of the team arriving along with Ben and, thankfully, an apprehended Milleous.

"Ben!" Aquas was first to notice Max, and…Menct could see him cringe.

Right…they did disobey direct orders. The aged man wrapped his grandson in a hug, almost as if he thought he'd never see him again…made sense since Menct had the sneaking idea Ben crashed his own vessel.

However, Max's joyed look soon turned sour when he looked towards Aquas.

"Captain, what were your orders?"

"…assist in helping the Plumber fleet."

"And why did you go forward despite the risks? You'd all have died in there had you been unlucky."

"…sir, I didn't see any alternative; had we stayed in the air we'd have eventually lost compared to their considerable forces. I made the call that seemed best and the result was…less than expected."

"No, it wasn't…that was somethin' I expected from Ben; means you're well on the way to fitting Rubiac's boots then." Max sighed, eyes turning towards the captured Milleous. "Now, to put you in a deep hole you'll never escape from."

The frog's sudden smirk was what made Menct less than confident.

"I think not." Surrounding them were a series of Incursean vessels, and already reports were coming in all over the globe of mutated, deformed To'kustars; laying waste to anything and everything they could. Several even landed in Bellwood, already beginning to smash and destroy whatever they could get their hands on.

They took the flagship down…but at what cost?

"Call the damn monsters off, now!" Aquas' pressed the barrel of his E-Handgun to Milleous' head, despite Max trying to talk him down. "Tell them to back down or I take you down once and for all."

"Whoa, we can stop him just…not like this!" Ben shouted, hand clenching down on Aquas' wrist, trying to dissuade him from pulling the trigger.

"I'd listen to Tennyson if I were you," Menct turned towards Attea, a snarl resonating from his maw. "You kill daddy, and I tell our good pal Dr. Psychobos to let the mutants run amok…they won't leave a single person alive once their done. Shame it means we don' get ta rule over you all but…fair is fair." Menct resisted ever single urge to shoot her in her smug face. Aquas eventually sighed, lowering his gun and sliding it into his holster, stepping back.

"Nows here's what gon' happen," The emperor spoke, cuffs being removed, just as the pure breed Aluneca rose from his crater. "All you Plumbers're gonna surrender, you'll turn Earth over ta us and you," He pointed a fatty finger at Ben. "Never show ya face around here again; I hereby exile you from dis planet, forever!" Ben wanted to fight, Menct could see it in his eyes.

"Ben, no." Max spoke up, the defeat in his voice making Menct feel…despair, for once in his life. "At least this way…I know you're alive. We'll figure something out…just…this is the way things need to be."

"Send this one too," Menct's fist clenched when he heard Attea speak up, the barrel of her rifle pointing at his side. "Don' need two dang Aluneca 'round when we's gotta better one." Aquas was tempted to grab his firearm…Menct could see this.

"Doon't." He spoke, the feeling of dread finally crushing his hope, like a walnut under a heel. "You stay…I go…" He spoke, crossing his arms slowly and lowering his head. "There is…a waaaay out…I can fix this…" Menct could tell Aquas desperately wanted to believe him, the entire team did…but the Aluneca knew it'd be close to impossible with the odds presented to them.

It really seemed like despite their best efforts, they've lost.

* * *

The shackles kept Menct's arms bound; the Aluneca's separate exile pod being sealed. He could see the faces of his friends even without his helmet…he could see they were all in cuffs, about to be led off to various parts of the world to be locked away like the rest of the Plumbers. He was without his armor, only clad in his shorts, as his gaze traveled upwards briefly to see Ben in his own pod, being launched…like how he would be in a short while. The sense of dread and failure weighed on his shoulders…he could have fought harder and prevented this from happening; from the Incurseans truly winning.

…he couldn't even pull a miracle. The frogs stripped him of his armor and left him in the world of darkness; if he or Ben ever returned to Earth the Incurseans would lay waste to the planet and kill every man, woman, and child in their wake. Menct looked up at the face of Aquas…and he tried his best to speak, to tell him something, but the pod was sealed to the point where his words fell upon deaf ears.

He wanted to tell them he'd find a way to save the planet…there'd be a way to save everyone and everything.

His own pod started up, and Menct sighed, the sudden lurch telling him he was rapidly leaving Earth's atmosphere and going off to god knows where…perhaps to a hostile planet or even a sun.

He felt something, his arm was loose. Menct looked to the cuff and with a lurch he ripped it free, using the talons to pry his other out. He was free yes but…how to escape the pod? And even then, where would he go?

The shadow of a planet ahead filled his vison…Menct then knew what he was to do.

Wherever he landed, he'd break free, and he'd find a way back to Earth to save it.

He was a Plumber, and they saved the galaxy…no matter the cost.

To Be Continued…

* * *

(I haven't actually watched Ben Ten for some time, so I had to improvise for a lot of this. I say it turned out pretty okay, all things considered.)


	12. The Flames of Hope Rekindled

Another Incursean party strolled through the roads, Tarator pressing himself to a wall in an effort to remain more concealed. The rain poured down harder and harder, as the night was bathed in its own shower…typically the Sotoraggian would welcome rain; embrace it as his own home planet had very little of it.…but with the circumstances presented now he knew there was no chance.

He ducked behind a dumpster when he thought he heard one of the Incurseans call out…they were searching for any and all Plumbers who weren't important…the reason why unnerved him.

Anyone not considered important in the Plumber ranking, they tended to execute…they wanted to leave those alive who could be considered leverage. The Sotoraggian dove from the alley once he was assured they weren't following him, ripping a sewer manhole open and diving in, just when he heard one of them shout once more…no doubt to say investigate the sound. His armored legs were submerged in the sewer water…while it was rancid it did mean a safe passage to his location. He kept walking, keeping the stolen Incursean Hand Blaster at the ready, just in case any of the frogs remained. Tarator soon jumped onto the walkway, leaving the water and continuing down a darker alley within the sewers until he came to a solid steel door, giving a gentle few raps in a short pattern.

"Lett'm in…it's Tarator." The door opened and the Sotoraggian stepped inside, hearing the door close behind him and for the lights to click on.

The squad was present in the room; having turned a part of the sewer into their safe house from the Incurseans…or at least most of the Squad. He sighed, as he looked at the faces of Yenth, Sarc, and lastly Hauntra.

…they were all that managed to get away. The rest of Epsilon Squad was in containment…kept alive due to their involvement at the destruction of the flagship.

"What'd ya get?" The Loboan asked, as Tarator's clawed fingers set down the bag of goods he managed to get from a few…trusted sources. A few packs of canned food, several bottles of water, and lastly, some ammo for their remaining guns…they had to always stay defended no matter what. "That's it? No bigger gun?"

"If I got something bigger, Yenth, the Incurseans would have easily spotted me. And besides, we're in enough trouble as it is anyhow." He spoke, moving to take a seat against the wall, the room no bigger than a small classroom…perhaps it was where water was treated but Tarator didn't know nor care. "If they find our where we are…we'll be killed. They already got everyone major in our damn team."

"…like Veele…" Yenth spoke, fist smashing into the wall seconds later, anguish and despair already radiating from him. "I shoulda fought to protect her! I shoulda fought those damn frogs, Tar! I coulda—"

"Gained another injury like that," Tarator spoke, pointing to the blue eyepatch the wolf alien now wore…a reminder that Incurseans didn't always miss. "…we all tried, okay? They knew we'd attempt escape if we were all together, so they divided us; sent Aq, Veele, and the other major players in the team one way and us the other…even if we broke out we'd be unable to save the others. Besides, feel worse for Frogert…I hear he's probably going to be executed due to high treason he committed by going AWOL on Peptos."

"Don' remind me…so now what? We just live like fucking cockroaches down here?"

"No, we plan, and we wait…soon we'll get a big break to come about; if we stick our necks out too far it'll be easy for them to drop the damn window and crush our throats…what we need to do is plan and lay out a proper strategy as to what we need to do." He tapped the table containing firearms. "There's two things we can do right now…two plans that'll shake things up for the Incurseans." Tarator motioned to Sarc, the mummy rising and unraveling just enough for his head to hover near the planning table, while the remainder of him stayed next to the wall.

"We can either lead a direct attack on a stronghold…or we could go into Plumber HQ to free the rest of Epsilon Squad."

"…that's Menct thinking there." Sarc spoke, voice still as disembodied as ever. "…he's the only one who'd do something like that."

"…don't remind me about that soldier," Tarator spoke, obvious grief in his tone. "Unlike the rest of the squad it's pretty damn clear Menct's dead…they probably sent his pod to a hostile planet where he'd perish, or even worse, into a damn star! It's not unlike the Incurseans to do so."

"…Tar…we gotta stay strong. Usually it's me who cracks durin' these times but…" A furred hand rested on his armored shoulder. "Even I say there's a chance; we gotta spring the others from the HQ and get them all here so we can plan."

"And then we put a round through Milleous and Attea's heads; the Incurseans lose their major leaders, they'll become blind and foolish. Hell, with Frogert's help we can even scramble communications during our raid and cause the resulting power vacuum to make them take themselves out." He finally noticed something…Hauntra was silent the entire time.

"Yenth…why's Hauntra so quiet?"

"She lost hope a long time ago…she's been like this ever since she learned they're executing Plumbers…we could be next." A sigh left him. "I mean yeah that scares me…but I'd rather die a free Plumber than one underneath their boots."

"Agreed…Hauntra, I need you up for this; we're gonna need you more than ever now." Her head lifted, trails of black down her face from crying endlessly. Her lip quivered, and she seemed as if she were trying to cry…she just ran out of tears to cry with.

"O-Okay…but…I-I don't wanna die…" She hugged her legs, shivering uncontrollably. "I j-just wanna be free…I don't wanna die…I don't wanna die—" Tarator's hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Hauntra, we are not going to die." He spoke, as stern as possible. "We're will free the others…and when we do we'll save the planet, like with Peptos, and like with Hathor."

"…but…had the whole team for those…"

"And we'll have the team now. None of us are going anywhere. We've gotten by fine for a month…we can do the same now." Tarator's words managed to assure the girl…

…but he wasn't entirely sure himself it'd be possible to spring their friends from captivity.

* * *

Tarator picked up another Incursean Blaster Rifle, stepping over the corpse of the frog whose neck he snapped moments ago. Yenth was with him, armed with two hand blasters, as Hauntra phased through various walls to retain the element of stealth, Sarc mainly following as silently as always. They were reaching the park, where they managed to get word of something big; said word actually forcing them to halt their prison break.

Frogert was about to be executed via firing squad. If they didn't hurry, their friend would be gone for good. Tarator crouched down in the alley, managing to see there were a few Incurseans standing around the gates of the park…they were trying to prevent any of the humans under grasp from witnessing the execution.

"Here's the plan," Tarator spoke, the team gathering around him, taking point as well. "Hauntra, you sneak in using your powers and give me eyes n Frogert so we know where he is, as well as extract him with said abilities as well. Sarc, you and Yenth go around and breach from there, while I attack from the front. With an attack on two fronts they'll be diverted severely."

"Whoa, and you wanna go at them alone? Look when Bella brought you to the damn hangar nearly dead, I thought for sure you'd get it through your head that you _can't_ go against a whole damn army alone!" Yenth hissed, making rapid glances to the frogs to ensure not a word of their exchange was heard. "How the fuck is now any different?"

"Because this time my goal isn't to just rush through them; it's to kill as many as I can until we get Frogert out of there. The longer we wait, the less time we have to save his life." A sigh radiated through his helm. "I made Aquas a promise before we were separated; keep the team alive at any cost…the same promise Menct made to him when we got back from Hathor and the same promise he asked the Aluneca to make when he was nearly dying on the way home from Peptos. I'll be damned if I'll let everything we worked for go to waste." The Sotoraggian stood, clicking the safety of his blaster off. "So, if we're done fooling around, we're going in. Hauntra, phase through things and remain intangible for as long as possible. If you start to feel sick from over taxation, find cover and let it well down." She damn near looked ready to collapse from fear but she remained vigilant. In a flash she sank into the ground, Sarc unraveling and shooting across the street…though Yenth was the one to hesitate.

"…we're gonna make it, okay Yenth?" Tarator assured him. "We'll get Frogert, and then we'll save Veele so you can tell her how you really feel."

"…yeah…I still owe her that date…gonna be damned if these frogs postpone it any longer." And with that they were off, Tarator diving out from the alley and open firing onto the guards, peppering them with plasma and killing them both.

"Bring me all you have, I'm not going anywhere…"

Tarator mowed down another Incursean, aware of the pile beginning to form. The Incursean COMs were going crazy, all with orders to send more soldiers to kill the Sotoraggian. His armor bore several burns and other damages, but he kept fighting, he had to keep going to give Hauntra time to save Frogert.

He dodged right, an Incursean having tried to catch him with a staff. Tarator's clawed fingers enclosed around the weapon, wrenching it from the Incursean's grip and smashing it into his head, doing the same for another.

Pain wracked his mind when a sudden shot to his side made him stagger. A boot to his head caused him to fall to his back, the alien rolling out the way before a boot came down to crush his head. He wrenched his plasma dagger from his boot, stabbing it into the frog's thigh and dragging upwards, ending his life in a messy spray. On his feet shakily, Tarator pulled the second dagger from his other boot, holding both at the ready, staring at a growing crowd of Incurseans.

"Just…need to hold out…" He wasn't doing so well, the kick to his head caused some severe damage, and he was sure the frogs had more blasters. He heard the hum of them power up, and in a flash, he yanked down, the purple light flashing and soon an Incursean fell dead.

He reflected one of the shots and sent it back to one of the Incurseans, killing him. The rest of them open fired, Tarator moving faster than the eye could blink, pink daggers lighting up as they reflected blast after blast of the Incurseans fire.

 _ **PLASH!**_

He fell to a knee, sucking in air and huffing, One of the shots smashed right into his side, burning his armor further, but he refused to stop there; he continued deflecting and continued to fight, but one by one, the shots managed to keep hitting him, searing his armor and searing his flesh.

The worst part was, they weren't aiming for killshots…they just wanted him to suffer. They wanted his death to be a slow one for his fight against the Incursean empire…Tarator refused to go down without one; he wanted them to know that as long as Plumbers like him remained, they would never truly win.

The Sotoraggian fell onto his back, trying to suck in air fruitlessly, one of his lungs was punctured. His vision was clouding…he could see Incurseans approaching, aiming.

…this was how he would die…fitting, for someone who failed to be one of his own kind's best. At least he'd die, believing in a brighter future for Sotoragg, and the dawn of hope for Earth.

 _ **SMASH!**_

That…wasn't the sound of plasma fire. He could hear the Incurseans screaming and panicking, and the sounds of blood filled the air. Tarator briefly lifted his head…and he saw for a moment, a literal angel.

He thought it was the bloodloss but he could see Menct there; flashes of the Aluneca fighting against overwhelming odds and winning.

…when he was reminded of the pain from his dire injuries, Tarator realized the impossible.

"Menct…?" The Aluneca crushed an Incursean's head in his hands, standing there tall and proud. The beast wore a pair of green shorts bearing the Omnitrix emblem on the belt, and a strange metal harness around his torso, as well as twin cuffs on his forearms, bearing the same emblem. He stood there as if the gods themselves sent him; the same symbol of hope he always proved to be for Earth.

"Tarator," Even his voice sounded clear, with the same clickish tone to it, as opposed to his typical dialect. "Save your strength, you're hurt."

"But…you're…dead…"

"I'm not, nor will I be." An Incursean roller closed in on them, and when it open fired Tarator watched Menct's entire left arm light up with green, geometric patterns…and it grew cyan crystals all over it, the Aluneca lifting his arm as it rapidly formed a shield. The plasma fire shot away from it, bouncing off of it and reflecting away, before Menct lowered the crystal shield, the matter reshaping itself into a sickening dual edged sword. His legs left a small crater in the ground as he leapt, one slash being enough to cleave the thing clean in half. Menct landed on the ground, arm returning to normal, as the entire thing violently exploded into a dazzling display. Through the burning rubble, Tarator watched Menct pass through the flames, those geometric patterns remaining along his form as he walked, with his own chitin ablaze, before he waved his hand, the patterns fading along with the flames.

"…am I dead?" Tarator asked, Menct kneeling down before the Aluneca's tail lifted, patterns traveling along it to turn it green, fruit blossoming off it. The Sotoraggian felt his helm be pulled off, and the green fruit offered to his maw.

"Eat, it'll work to stop the bleeding…the pain I can't fix."

"Menct…just…tell me how." He asked, even as he chewed and swallowed the food, feeling himself heal gradually. "How are you here? Despite everything…?"

"Because I'm a plumber, and as a Plumber I refuse to let my home fall into darkness. I'm here to stay, and like Ben, I'll be sure to destroy the Incursean reign, once and for all."

* * *

"…you're alive…how?" Yenth was still trying to take this all in, as the remaining team was once again in the safe house, with the golden sun himself Menct; though the Aluneca was busy downing a can of beans to really give a proper answer, the harness he wore giving brief flashes now and again. "And how the hell can you talk right? Last time we spoke you were always so…hard to understand."

"…it's a tale." Menct spoke, swallowing down the remainder of the food. "It took severe willpower and a lot of effort to do what I did. But, I came home. As for how…it started when I was trapped in the blackness of space, believing I'd perish before I could ever go home to save the world and perhaps even the universe." He stood from his seated position, tapping the strange gauntlet on his arm a few times, a green hologram forming to quite literally display the pod Menct was sent off in…how things all happened…

* * *

 **The Preluding Month…**

* * *

Menct broke both arms free from his restraints, claws clenching as he banged on the door. The dark world was everywhere, as to be expected of being trapped in a pod in space. He did manage to see barely that the pod was approaching a planet…a sandy brown one. He steeled himself, grabbing onto the very restraints that bound him to ensure the crash wouldn't kill him. He felt everything shake and batter, but he refused to give in and show fear. The pod was entering the atmosphere, and instantly the inside started to heat up from the steady entry. It seared his talons and burned his claws; Menct refused to give in. After a long, agonizing entry, he felt the pod smash into the ground, sinking into the sand somewhat from the impact and nearly turning some of the surrounding glass into sand.

His time was now. Menct lifted himself and punched at the door, doing so again and again until it caved in, falling away and filling the pod with course, gritty sand. With the door gone, Menct did what he did best, even during dire times.

He started to dig. His claws tore into the sand, shoveling it away as he started to dig, already immersed in his native element of the ground. His fin protruded from the ground, and he continued to dig and claw his way through the sandy earth until he felt he was far enough away to breach the surface, glancing about.

Rolling plains of nothingness greeted him.

"…where…am…I…?" He asked no one, trying to recall any planets that had a desert-like appearance.

…there were too many to name…so that wasn't that smart. All those times in the academy, Menct started to think it was unwise to forgo studying planets closest to the Earth. Shaking his head, he needed to focus…he knew even with his biology water would become a problem, and the Incurseans left him with only his wit to survive with. His claws ripped into the ground, once again submerging himself in the sand and allowing him to rapidly tunnel around.

Once Menct reached a sufficient distance he picked up movement…normally this would be a good thing but…the movement was coming for him.

Whatever he sensed, it was making a beeline for him, faster than he could react. Menct slashed forward, and he felt his talons embed themselves into scaled hide.

A Sand Ripper; he was on Khoros! That explained the rolling deserts, and the most dangerous predator to the Tetramands.

…Menct gradually regretted not studying.

He broke through the surface, claws in a flurry, beating back Sand Rippers and feeling their teeth slash at his arms and legs with each successful repel. He was losing blood fast, and he was losing time.

A series of blaster shots rang out, and the Sand Rippers scattered, leaving Menct to himself. He could see some sort of gold and red floating chariot roll closer, two Tetramands dismounting and brandishing their weapons.

"Identify yourself or we will fire." One spoke, Menct thinking on what to do…and how to approach this possibly dangerous topic.

"I am Menct…Princess Looma's Husband."

* * *

The Aluneca found himself walking along the busy roads of the Tetramand kingdom; seeing various other species gathered at the bazaar buying things. Not one noticed Menct, and that was for the best, as the insectoid alien soon found himself at the steps of the palace belonging to his…essentially step father, Gar Red Wind.

Speaking of which, the conqueror himself stood at the top of the stairs, looking down on Menct with a benevolent, happy smile.

"Menct, good to see you son!" He spoke, expression soon souring at the sight of the injuries the Aluneca sported. "Sand Rippers attacked you? Those blasted creatures seem to get closer and closer every single day despite our best efforts." The two Tetramand guards stood back as Menct walked along with the larger male, exploring the palace of safety.

"So, what brings you to Khoros, Menct?" Gar asked, a servant of another species bringing him a blue tinted drink and leaving just as soon as it was brought. "I didn't expect you here until it was time for you to marry my daughter, and even then, that's not for another three years."

"Earth…taken…" The emperor's face fell, and a sigh left him. "…you…knew…?"

"We knew the Incurseans had planned to take Earth yes, but we didn't know when. And even then, while we're all about strength and power, I doubt we can deal with an army so willing to toss its own soldiers away just to kill one Tetramand soldier…and even then, enough chaos and we'll just be glassed." Menct found himself at a balcony along with the Tetramand leader, a sullen look on his once proud face. "Tis only a matter of time before we do need to face them…and hopefully push them back."

"…why…be…scared?" Menct asked, catching his attention. "Why…fear…when…you can…fight?"

"As said, we're out numbered."

"But…not outmatched…" He spoke, soon hearing a few footsteps behind them; Menct internally sighing when he was pulled into a hug by Looma seconds later.

"Beloved! You weren't due here for another few years; what's the occasion?"

"His planet's been taken by the Incurseans. I suppose him being here means he either fled, or was exiled away from Earth to ensure the Incurseans had time to continue their works." Gar spoke, causing Looma's face to sour, not out of fear and compassion for those Menct cared about, but she seemed akin to how a kid would react knowing their ice cream store closed.

"Darn it…where will I get the items for the wedding now?" Her lower arms counted things out even as Menct tapped her side, trying to get himself free.

"I…need…help." He spoke at last, catching both their attentions. "Earth…my…home; I don't…want it to be taken over…forever." Menct approached the balcony, Gar stepping to the side, allowing the Aluneca to see ahead…though much of the unseen world greeted him.

He didn't care…he was blind in many senses of the world but he still made due, despite this fatal flaw.

"Earth…my home. Menct made…oath…to defend it, no matter what. When frogs took over…I fought…and fought…but even now…I can still fight. They removed…the heroes…forced them to hide…but if all the heroes hid…who would stand for justice?" Gar was silent, before his large hand clamped down on Menct's shoulder, a determined look on his face.

"Your words have moved me, future son in law…I'll do all I can to assist you on your mission to retake Earth from the Incursean forces. Just say what you'll need and I'll do what I can to obtain it."

"Army…and…fleet. They won't…expect attack."

"So be it, I'll get my personal fleet prepared and—"

"We need…more. There other planets…that hate the Incurseans. Find them…and we have a force like…no other."

"As you wish, anything else?"

"A ship," He spoke, turning to look at both Tetramands. "I need…to visit Galvan Prime…there someone there Menct needs to meet. It'll be hard…but it must be done."

"So, you need to speak to a Galvan…I suppose that works. I'll speak to some people, but I can't guarantee a fancy vessel for you." Menct was fine with that; he didn't need fancy, he just needed transportation in general.

* * *

…in hindsight…Menct expected this.

The ship Gar had presented to him looked like it had been through hell. It was battered, damaged, and covered with scratches and other things. It was large enough to accommodate only one person, and Menct feared one use was all it would get before the ship fell apart. In all truth, Menct was annoyed he had to wait four days for Gar to come up with something so sully.

"It's the best I could do under such short notice," Gar spoke, patting the hull of the vessel. "But, I'm sure she'll work well enough. I needed to get you a ship that would go undetected through airspace…if the Incurseans have such a hold on Earth they'll no doubt be trying to prevent anyone from going to Galvan Prime to ensure their rule is unchallenged. With this ship, you'll be even harder to detect and nigh impossible to shoot down." Menct nodded, crawling onto the ship and opening the hatch, sinking into the cockpit and making sure the seat fit him well enough. "Menct, you're sure you're doing the right thing, right? Earth will be a hard one to save, even with us providing you an army."

"I…know…but I…have hope. And I…know who to speak with." The glass hatch slowly closed, the cockpit lighting up and the ship preparing for launch. He did know he was supposed to say goodbye to Looma…

…he wasn't doing that. Truth be told, she seemed bratty and everytime he was around her he found himself more and more likely to just have Yenth fight her and get roped into the same bullshit he did.

…if he was still alive.

Menct didn't doubt that; Yenth and the others were survivors. Menct knew that no matter what they would keep going, and keep fighting. They never fell on Hathor or Peptos, and they would damn sure stay together on Earth.

The controls lit up, and Menct gripped the joysticks, easing forward and feeling the ship lurch ahead, skidding across the desert floor and shooting away from the desert, into the air, and gradually he left the planet's grip, shooting into space and letting the controls slow just a bit when the blackness of space greeted him. He could barely see past the glass hatch…while it was scary, Menct had to overcome it; he had a mission. The longer he waited, the more the Incurseans could get a hold on the planet. Menct's hands pushed forward on the controls. He had to go to the one person he knew could help him…an idea he formulated better as he hurtled through space and crashed onto Khoros.

Go to Galvan Prime…find Azmuth.

* * *

His stomach rumbled again. Menct placed his hand over his belly, mandibles clicking in annoyance. He'd been in space for at least two days…a week in total had he been gone from Earth. He hungered, and his mind was beginning to go…but he refused to let himself fall. Once he got to Galvan Prime, he'd find Azmuth, and he'd get help taking Earth back and kicking the Incurseans out. The green sphere of the planet gradually came into his limited view, and a sigh left him. Just a bit more and he'd reach the planet.

Menct pulled back on the controls, feeling himself come into the planet hot.

…a little too hot…he was hurtling towards the planet. He tried to stop himself but gradually he felt his control over the ship waiver and Menct braced himself.

 _ **Crash!**_

He hit the ground hard, buildings splintering and crashing apart from the impact; Menct gripped the controls tightly as he skidded to a halt, head trailing up slowly to see several things.

He was right outside Azmuth's lab…and there were several Galvans hovering around his ship, armed with small blasters.

"…I…here for…Azmuth."

Menct wasn't that smart no, but he had a feeling he just pissed them off royally.

* * *

"So, let me understand this; you not only crashed landed from a random planet, caused untold property damage, endangered both Galvan and Galvanic Mechamorph lives, and to top it all off, you want me to help you?" Azmuth pinched the bridge of his nose, standing on the cool metal floor, staring up at Menct. The Aluneca's wrists were bound together via energy cuffs…a precaution by a few Galvans to ensure Menct didn't break anything else, even if accidentally. The creator of the Omnitrix was having a hard time truly accepting what Menct said as factual.

"Incurseans…have…Earth…" The Aluneca spoke, taking a step forward even with this putting the Galvans nearby on edge due to the damage wrought earlier. "You…can…help."

"I can, but the question is why should I?" Azmuth spoke, rubbing his fleshy beard on his tiny face. "Earth being overtaken by the Incurseans was a matter of time yes, and while I could work some of my creative genius to relieve them of this control, I'd rather devote my time to other things, such as trying to deal with the Anodites and other more harrowing species. Now begone…I'm sure you have other places—"

"No!" Menct snapped, causng the galaxy's genius to show some concern for a faint flash. "Earth needs…us…Ben and I…exiled. No one left…to defeat them…Menct not…strong enough."

"You're not strong enough; that's an understatement. You're essentially throwing a stone at a wall when we compare you to their fleet alone."

"A stone…can still pierce a wall." Menct assured, Azmuth giving an affirmative hum.

"Tell me Menct, what would you be willing to give up in order to defend Earth? Your life? Your freedom?"

"I would…give all."

"Then what about your badge?" This was not what Menct expected to be asked. "You heard me; if I help you defend Earth…would you be willing to relinquish your Plumber badge? To resign from the ranks all together and stop being something you're not? How devoted are you to defending the peace of a planet your species was originally meant to destroy?"

"I AM NOT A DESTROYER!" Menct's sudden roar rattled the walls and shook every Galvan and Galvanic Mechamorph to their core. "…if it's what is needed…Menct…will no longer be a Plumber. I swore an oath…to defend Earth and her colonies…no…matter what." Menct's heart was in a knot…he was throwing away everything he worked for and all he fought to protect…to defend a world that was never his to live on to begin with. He was just a stranger to Earth yet here he was giving up his dream for it.

But…a Plumber always defended Earth and all the other worlds in the galaxy…no matter the cost.

"Hmm, I see." A sigh left Azmuth, the Galvan shaking his head…before a grin formed on his face. "Did you know, Menct, a true Aluneca would have rather died than agree to my clauses and propositions? Their pride is so massive that a normal one would have tried to kill me just for telling him or her to give up their dreams and goals to save something they didn't truly own nor belong on. This proves to me you're truly not one of the world destroying freaks your species is…you're something in your own league. I was testing you…and like Ben in my situations, you've managed to surprise me." The cuffs binding Menct fell to the ground, depowered and useless.

"Come along…Ben was here before you some time ago, and should be on Earth roaming incognito as one of the frogs…but as for you; you need a bigger trump card."

* * *

Menct descended with Azmuth into the Omnitrix Maker's lab, littered with mechanical parts and other things from either failed works, or things yet to ever see fruition. These were the ones the genius obviously took no pride in…they weren't ready. The Aluneca did his best to avoid from crushing anything as he walked, while Azmuth merely evaded spare parts as if he had done this time and time again.

That logic didn't seem that hard to believe, all things considered.

At the end of the room, there rested a green harness, and with it were two gauntlets. They bore the Omnitrix emblem, and Menct could see some sort of belt along with it…like some set of Omnitrix based armor.

"This was something I was working on for Ben Tennyson's future days…when he inevitably outgrows the most powerful device in the universe. The original schematic was for something different…but out of all the rejects, this one seems to work; a rejected device for a rejected creature…quite ironic." Menct's snarl told Azmuth to continue without the insults. "Anyhow, this is the forerunner to a new invention called the Biotrix; this one being called the Prototrix, because of its forerunner status to the more powerful device for the universe. Due to defects, it cannot turn a user entirely into an alien; but parts of them, including organs. However, a theory does come to mind, with your Alunecan biology it's possible for the Prototrix to work flawlessly with you; your species already take in DNA and replicate it in your system anyhow…we can just call this an extension." Menct's claws reached out to grasp one of the gauntlets, ending in a fingerless green glove. He slowly slid it on, and he felt…like this armor was designed for him; meant for him to wear ever since his time being known.

"The Prototrix runs off the user's biometrics as compared to the Omnitrix, which runs on a timer. The more you change, the more it'll draw from you…don't overtax it and you won't succumb to blacking out from overuse." The harness slid on, and soon the belt was clipped into place around his waist. "There may be some defects and some bugs here and there, but for the most part, the Prototrix is exactly what you need to take the fight to the Incurseans, and breach that wall with a boulder this time…not a rock." The entire set was soon on Menct's body, both hands lifting as the gauntlets lit up; geometric patterns tracing along both of them before he saw a dial appear on the right one, showing the silhouette of a Pyronite. "I'll need to calibrate some DNA into it…the Pyronite DNA comes standard in there for some reason. But, you need training with the Prototrix before you return to Earth." The Aluneca looked down to Azmuth, and even without eyes it was clear he was giving him a quizzical look. "You can't go back yet Menct; without proper training, you'll risk killing yourself and dooming the Earth. If you really wish to save it…you'll need to learn how to fight with the Prototrix." The Aluneca slowly nodded, his mind made up on this life altering decision.

Menct was more than willing to learn how to use such power. Earth's life hung in the balance, and he was more than willing to offset this balance and tilt the scales in the favor of the good guys.

* * *

Another wall smashed down, the blocky, crystal coated fist slowly fading and returning to the red, chitin covered one that it was always. Menct stood there, having taken down another wall as asked by Azmuth; the Omnitrix creator standing a short distance away. The sun was setting for Galvan Prime, and Menct stood there, arms slowly crossing. The glowing lime green patterns along his arm died down, and the green shorts he wore ruffled in the wind, the Omnitrix emblem on his belt dimming as the Prototrix died down.

"Menct," At the Galvan's words, the Aluneca's head slowly turned in his direction. "It's been fifteen days. You've managed to master the Prototrix and make it yours…baffling." Azmuth did let out an annoyed sigh. "It's unfortunate I was only able to calibrate the same ten aliens Ben was used to into it…any additional ones and I'd have overloaded it's already limited space."

"It's okay," Menct's mandibles slowly clattered against one another, tongue sliding along his teeth to make those words clear and full. He had improved his vocals much more, because he knew Earth's Shining Symbol of Peace needed to actually be able to communicate with people. "I can still take Earth back…and like the Omnitrix…I can just take DNA from other life if I strike it…so long as I ensure I don't overload the device. But, I'm sure that this will be more than enough to restore the peace." Menct's arms uncrossed, mandibles clicking together a few times. "Still, thank you for all of this…giving me the chance I need."

"It's nothing; originally I was skeptical of you being a Plumber, especially following the report Max gave me concerning your frenzy, but like with Tennyson that skeptical feeling has been replaced with one of confidence. By now, he should be helping his friends, having been under wraps with the Incurseans long enough to ensure he has their position…would you rather him have all the fun?" Menct's head shook, a low chuckle leaving him.

"I suppose not…where is the vessel I came here with…I have my way back." It was a short walk; the run down ship Menct used still present in the middle of the town. The Aluneca leapt onto the canopy and pulled the hatch open, seating himself and lifting his left arm. Geometric patterns trailed along it, and the chitin became a goopy black substance; the same patterns present along it. His hand pressed down, and it literally started to melt and spread across the controls. Sudden beeps and pings told him the ship was in a flight capable status once more; the Aluneca retracting his hand and letting it shift back once he was done.

"Remember what I warned about the Prototrix," Azmuth spoke, the hatch slowly closing, Menct about to take off. "And try to give Ben someone to compete with…he's never had a rival for saving the world after all." The ship gradually ascended, and with a turn it breached through the atmosphere, rocketing past the moon orbiting Galvan Prime and sending him on a direct course for Earth. He'd been gone a month…he didn't know if any of his friends were still fighting, let alone alive…but he had confidence. They, like him, had been into the inferno, and seen death.

Even if they were gone…Menct would avenge every single one of them and bring Milleous to justice…along with Glukos. The Aluneca could polymorph and shift himself…so could Menct.

By the end of the war, Menct was certain at least one of them would be standing following the smoke clearing.

* * *

 **Present Day**

* * *

"And that's the long and short of it," Menct concluded, lowering his arm. "I crashed down nearby and I followed your scent to reach you all…namely Tarator's blood." The Sotoraggian shook his head, a tad annoyed it was his foolishness that was the saving grace. Frogert was busy nursing a black eye, and Haunta was back to her corner. The only one really speaking to Menct was Yenth…a surprising turn, all things considered. "But, I'm here now…but…where are the others?"

"Plumber HQ," Tarator spoke, still weak from nearly dying earlier on. "They and the other major Plumbers are being held captive there as Prisoners of War…the Plumbers not as important have been executed either publicly, or by being mowed down. I estimate that in the month they've been in control we've lost at least an eighth of all total Plumbers." Menct was…at a loss for words. He wasn't a stranger to carnage yes but…to think…that many Plumbers were killed in the Earth takeover.

"…we'll avenge every last one of those who died. And to start, we'll free those left and give them the tools needed to fight." Menct started moving for the door, tapping away at the gauntlet of the Prototrix. "HQ has to be vanguarded by someone high in their military forces…I'm estimating it's Doctor Psychobos."

"…Menct…how the hell did you get so smart?" Yenth finally asked.

"I've always been smart…I just never learned a proper way to communicate it to you guys. None the less, we should try and figure out a means for us to break into HQ and free those left before we take the fight to the Incurseans directly."

"…Menct did you hit your head? They have the entire planet locked down and any form of violence against them tends to lead towards chaos. Hell, if you or Ben show your faces to them they let those damn monsters ravage the planet without stopping."

"Ben's already here…and give or take he's where we should be; at HQ, trying to free those trapped." Menct let out a low sigh, mandibles flaring for a moment. "…look, I know you are all afraid…I am as well, but hiding won't do us any good. In times like these, we need to keep going, to avenge those fallen and finish the fight they started. The Incurseans think they've won, but we're about to show them that there's no crushing our willpower, or our might!" They were motivated, they were prepared…and they were ready to bring the frogs a war like none other.

Menct planned to gladly lay waste to everything they built up himself.

* * *

The door controls opened, Menct's hand returning to normal after using the Ectonurite DNA in the Prototrix. He walked through the same halls of the Plumber HQ…the halls where his dreams had begun so long ago were now the source of so much chaos and so many nightmares. The Aluneca shook his head…there was no time for fear in this place. The others were following behind him…he was their shining symbol of hope; faltering would do them no good whatsoever. Even then, he was merely following the scent of his friends to find out where they were being held, though being entirely stealthy was a dangerous gamble.

If they were detected now, it'd be possible that their friends would be executed like Frogert nearly was. Granted, all that would do would just enhance Menct's fury…and make him less inclined to show the emperor mercy when the bell tolled.

They neared the prisoner bay, and the scent of his friends was stronger; the Aluneca hearing voices in the distance.

…when he smelt two additional things, he had already vaulted over the railing, and landed on the ground behind the frog princess. He smelt blood, and he smelt Aquas.

"Menct?!" The Aluneca's slim sight was already picking up on a few things: Ben's two friends Kevin and Gwen standing with the Magister, with Aquas slumped against the wall, holding his bleeding side. He could see a taller, darker Incursean there with them, one with Ben's stench masking him…and then he could see Attea, holding a still smoking blaster.

He put it together faster than she wanted clearly, her calculated expression being replaced with fear.

She reached to shoot at him, and Menct's arm smacked the gun from her hand, other hand reaching to clench around her throat, lifting her and suspending her in the air.

"You shot my friend," He hissed, seeing that same fear in her eyes, other arm gaining the same geometric patterns before a sharpened, crystalline blade pressed to her throat, the Aluneca inches from dicing her.

"Menct, no!" He heard the other Incursean speak, the one with Ben's stench masking him. "You're betta dan her, don't do it!"

"She shot my friend…she killed my teacher…what point does she have to survive this war?" Menct was more impressed they weren't questioning his speaking ability, perhaps they were more afraid of him about to slaughter someone in cold blood as opposed to his speaking ability. "This is a war…and this impudent child must learn what it truly means to lose in one, and pay the ultimate price; death."

"Menct, ack-don't." Aquas' strangled voice sounded out now, and the Aluneca's head shot in his direction. "Is this what Rubiac would have wanted? Do you think he'd want blood for blood to repay a debt?" The Orishan limped out, hand clenched on his wounded side, still pressing on even with the agony he had with his persistence. "Menct, let her go…she'll pay for her crimes and be tried for them…and then sent to the very prison she drove you to the brink of self destruction."

"…ain't I got a say in dis?" Menct's unseen gaze affixed itself onto Attea, mandibles clicking.

"No," He lowered her, forcing her to stare into his eyeless face, mandibles slowly clicking together. "You will pay for your crimes towards the galaxy, along with your father." He pressed his other arm to hers, the Prototrix giving off a slight glimmer before he nodded; Incursean DNA was added into the device, and with it he could access various devices and ships that her ilk could only use...this opened up many oppertunities. With his goal complete, he lifted the princess before slamming her into the ground, rendering her unconscious.

"Menct…when did you learn to talk?" Kevin, late as usual. The Aluneca glanced towards him and the others, and before he could give an answer he was reminded that Aquas was bleeding out, the Aluneca's head jerking in his direction.

"Aquas, where is Bella? She can fix you and get you back on your feet."

"Cell over…and Menct…good job on sparing her." The Aluneca's arm smashed into the console, regressing from the Galvanic Mechamorph DNA before he watched the door open, glancing at the faces of those he thought to be lost.

"Yenth…" The speedy girl had already embraced the Loboan, hugging him as if he were a lost lover…wait…

…Menct picked things up in seconds.

"I missed you so damn much…these frogs tried to keep us separate but fuck them and fuck this war…once this is over we're goin' to that fancy restaurant like we promised."

"Lookin' forward to it." Bella was already doing her job as the medic, trying to work and restore Aquas while the rest of Epsilon Squad spoke amongst one another…a tearful reunion, in the case of Yenth of Veele.

It gave Menct a warm feeling, like when he first started out in the Academy. But, this wasn't the time for warm sensations and good feelings of the past; this was the time to act and the time to fix things, once and for all.

"Ben," Menct spoke, slim sight burned for a faint moment from the green flash of Ben disengaging the Lifeform Lock on the Omnitrix. "We need to go up and take care of things."

"Right, we gotta take those Waybads out; shouldn't be hard with the original hero, Waybig." Menct shaking his head actually confused the group.

"We need to split up; Aquas you need to take the team to take down the Cerbocrustacean controlling those mutants so we can depower them. Ben, I need you to combat the monsters yourself and send them packing…I'm going for Glukos and the emperor so I can force this war to an end."

"Wait…that's suicide." Gwen spoke up, a solemn look on her face, not believing Menct for a second. "That flagship has to be protected by literally all the Incurseans; going in alone is a death wish."

"Menct doesn't know what the word death wish is," Aquas spoke up, standing up and taking up the blaster Attea once had. "And that's why if he goes in there, he'll win. I have faith in my friend and I know that if he goes in there, he'll crush that frog and save the Earth." His friends all cheered for him, the feeling that all their hope rested on his shoulders truly made him feel he accomplished his dream as a Plumber…but it wasn't finished yet.

Now came the time to bring the fight to Milleous, and to crush his war once and for all.

To Be Continued…


	13. Final Shine

The Aluneca's talons sank into the gravel of the road, Ben standing next to him. Both of them stared ahead at the forces before them…Ben to fight the Waybads, and Menct to fight Glukos. These were desperate times…but the two of them operated under worsened conditions before…and it was sad Menct could say that when comparing Ben's feats to his own.

"Hey Menct," The Aluneca looked down at the teenage savior. "You've come a long way from when we first found ya." The two of them trekked down the road, to where Ben could engage the mutant To'kustars and crush them. "It's funny…never expected to have a rival in saving the world before, but I'm glad for it to have been you, Menct." The teen stopped, and extended his hand to Menct.

"Thanks for helping me protect the galaxy." Menct's claw clamped down on Ben's hand, and something odd happened; both the Omnitrix and the gauntlet of the Prototrix shifted to a cyan hue, beeping rapidly.

"Omnitrix Synced with Biotrix; copying Codon Stream for later usage." The watch soon returned to its color, and Menct's gauntlet returned to its original green hue. The Aluneca lifted his wrist and traced it along the dial, and he saw something…in a sense concerning.

He no longer had access to the original ten Azmuth had programmed in, but also an additional amount; it was as if when his own device made close contact with Ben's Omnitrix it seemed to have copied over much of the DNA streams inside, believing his Prototrix was the completed Biotrix.

His joy over the notion was short lived when the dial started to beep with an orange hue coating both gauntlets.

"Warning, Biotrix exceeding storage limit. Usage time shortened in order to prevent extensive damages. Please be advised."

…well…that wasn't good.

"…that sounds bad." Ben muttered, being cut off when one of the corrupted To'kustars roamed past, smashing its foot down on a building. "Aaaand that's my cue. Menct, be safe out there…and don't hog all the fun, alright?" Menct nodded, and was already moving, geometric patterns tracing along his legs before they turned a chilling blue color, balls forming on his feet as his speed picked up. He dashed past ruined cars and even some Incurseans, reaching the very park where it all began and it all ended at the same time; the Flagship still resting there, being repaired. The Aluneca's mandibles flared, as he came to a stop, legs becoming slim and green before he leapt into the air, high in the sky from the force of the jump, right over the flagship now. His legs returned to normal, right arm aiming downwards as it turned brown and leathery, doubling in size seconds later.

The perk of the sync…Vaxasaurian DNA.

His fist smashed down hard enough to rattle the ship and let them know well enough he was there, arm shifting back to normal.

"Glukos! Come out and face me, for Earth's fate!" He planned to kill two birds with one stone; he wanted to not only save the Earth from the Incurseans, but also kill the traitorous Aluneca who abused his gifts.

The window where he knew the frog emperor would reside smashed open, and sure enough the Pure breed slammed into the metalwork Menct stood upon, wings folding up as he stood.

"So, the progidal son has returned…" He spoke, almost as if it were a joke only he was laughing about. "How expected…I warned Milleous that sparing you was his own failure…and it seems you've gotten assistance from the Galvans; I know a Half Breed like you cannot ever create something as advanced as that."

"I didn't create it, but I wield it against you and the acts you've committed. In accordance with Plumber Rules and Regulations," Menct's arm pointed at Glukos' head, shifted to the same Segmentosapien cannon Ben was infamous for. "You will be brought to justice."

"Me? Justice? Ha! Ahahahahaaaa! Don't make jokes, Menct; make assurances. Like now, I assure you that I'll choke you with your own entrails and parade your corpse around!" The metal beneath Glukos caved in as he shot at Menct; his fist smashing into the blocky cannon of Menct's arm. Though he buckled from the impact, Menct remained standing, other arm gaining the same geometric patterns before he smashed it into Glukos' head, a deep red hue as he used the Tetramand DNA to send the Pure Breed flying, hearing the satisfying _**crash**_ of him smashing into the wall.

"Then let me rephrase with an assurance and a fact; you will not walk away from this fight."

* * *

"Aq, so how're we doin' this?" Another arc of purple lighting struck the wall, Aquas, Yenth, and Tarator crouched by the wall, whereas Frogert and the rest of Epsilon Squad were crouched against the rest, as the maddened Cerbocrustacean tried to kill them, zapping where he thought they were using his eletrokinetic abilities outside the door. "Cause I think he's mad."

"Yenth, we have this covered. Besides, we already sent Ben's companions to get the remaining Plumbers within this facility up to speed and somewhere safer. It's us, or nothing." Aquas checked the ammo on his E-Handgun, inhaling slowly. "Tarator, give me some covering fire, and Sarc, use your bandages to knock him back enough for us to strike him." The bandages already shot outwards, two or three being incinerated by the stray arcs of lighting before one managed to strike the crab's front, sending him skidding back with high force before Aquas bolted into action, rushing inwards with Tarator propping up to open fire at Dr. Psychobos.

The Sotoraggian hit the wall moments later, and Aquas found himself alone, attempting to dodge the arcs of lightning he flung at the Orishan with the intent to kill him.

"Ha! You thought a maddened blitzkrieg could stop me? ME?! No wonder you're the reject to your species! I can tell at a glance you're just a failure at being an Orishan and a failure at being a Plumber! Now give up; give up and die!" An arc of lightning shot out, and this time Aquas reacted, feeling the same burning in his heart he knew Menct always had; the Orishan rolling to the side, aiming his palm upwards, and feeling something leave him, and for the crab to cry out in anguish and shock.

It took a moment to realize water had shot out and coated Dr. Psychobos, and when he attempted to use his lightning again, he electrocuted himself due to the water, collapsing moments later.

"…I did it." He muttered, Aquas looking down at his wettened palm. "…I finally shot water out." His joy was short lived, as he could see Incursean troops down the hall, all prepared to open fire. This was their truest moment, when the powers denied to them at birth could finally come intro fruition.

"Yenth! Howl, right now!"

"Howl?! I couldn't ever do that! I never could-"

"Yenth, right now I don't want you to believe in yourself; I want you to believe in me, who believes in you!" The Orishan could see the wolf shaking in fear, even as the troops prepared to open fire. "So, believe! JUST DO IT!" The Loboan stood, and his snout split open, the distorted howl noise all his species known for finally sounding out, much louder than the typical one could do. The halls were rattled and the Incurseans sent skidding back, Yenth's roar continuing even with them down. "Believe! Throw away those fears and do what Menct would do, and WIN!" Veele shot out, feet in a blur before her fist smashed into one of the Incursean's head, sending him down before Tarator drop kicked another, rolling to stand and deliver a sharp headbutt to another. Even Hauntra finally shined, a deep violet beam leaving her hand and striking a soldier, like that of the infamous Zz'Skar would do. Their powers were all truly showing, and they were behaving like the heart and soul of their team.

"Menct…we did it." Aquas muttered, moving over to plant his foot on Dr. Psychobos, hearing him groan in pain from the electrocution he was given earlier. "We all rekindled our lost gifts…and we saved the day. Now it's up to you and Ben…do what you do best and shine on."

* * *

Menct skidding across the grass, claws leaving deep lines as he lowered his crystalline arm. Glukos charged at him once more, fists ablaze, before Menct ducked to the left, throat wobbling before he let out an ear splitting sonic screech right at Glukos; sending him into a tree. So far, the fight rested in the Half-Breed's favor; the other Aluneca growing sloppier as his anger got the better of him.

The Half breed knew patience; he knew when to strike and what DNA to use while Glukos just attacked with whatever seemed like it would work…and in his fury he left numerous openings for Menct to merely counter attack.

"Give up," He spoke, arms regressing to normal. "You're sloppy, and you're soon to perish in this fight."

"Am I?! Or do I have an ace up my sleeve?" He snapped his chitin coated fingers, and above, Menct could see dozens of Incursean vessels hover overhead, all prepared to fire. "I have an army Menct; an army that can easy eradicate you as if you were nothing. What the fuck do you have?!" One of the Incursean ships exploded, Glukos' face twisting into a mask of fearful fury. A gold vessel breached Earth's airspace, followed by dozens of others…said ships Menct was able to pick out what they were fairly quickly.

"Gar…you came through." Those were Tetramand War ships, and along with them he could see various other ships belonging to other species; other races who opposed the Incursean rule! His own fleet was here, and even now he could see smaller ships chasing Incursean ones to open fire, while the flagship containing the Tetramand Warlord rain fire down on any Incursean vehicle or To'kustar that he could get a lock on with his plasma seekers.

"…you were saying?" Menct kindly asked, and he could almost feel the fury radiating from Glukos. "Give up, and I can assure you that your imprisonment will not be finite…I see now killing you gets us nowhere."

"NEVER! I'd rather be torn asunder and burned alive than to let myself be turned into the shell of my proud species! If that toad's forces are so pathetic to lose to a ragtag fleet, then I'll lay waste to this planet myself!"

With that, things truly shifted to a dire status, because Glukos started to shift; his original Alunecan form becoming twisted; perverse, as he literally became an amalgamation of all the aliens he consumed…all the powers at his disposal. His torso shifted to that of a Vulpimancer, he grew four additional arms, the first set that of a Tetramand, the second set of a Pyronite, and the third set that of a Petrosapien. His wings shifted to that of a Necrofriggian, and his tail that of an Arachnichimp. His legs were that of an Orthoterran, and his head mutated and twisted until it mimicked that of the Tyrannopede beast, Glukos now standing at a sweltering fifteen feet in height.

"Now do you see Menct?" He asked, voice with at least five tones. "Now do you see how futile your hope truly is?" He asked, before suddenly shooting towards Menct, crystal arms forming twin blades. The Aluneca barely dodged the strike from the insane one, legs shifting to a blue tint as he zipped away from him.

"Running gets you nowhere, failure!" Glukos screamed, Menct only having a second to dodge before he slammed down, turning in Menct's direction to breath a haze of green slime at him; sticking to the ground and nearly corroding it. Menct leapt once and vaulted right over the park's fence, rolling and continuing his run, with the knowledge that Glukos was closely in tow.

Now, this was do or die. Glukos was dead set on killing Menct to break Earth's will…and this meant that every single time the Aluneca tried to take some time to think on a plan Glukos would be there, to try and kill him, with inevitable success if nothing was done.

Menct skidded to a halt in the road, legs returning to normal before he shot his fist right for Glukos; shifting to that of a Tetramand and slamming him with enough force to send him skidding back. It wouldn't stop him forever…this was the time to fight. Glukos let out an ear-splitting roar, one of the arms on his third pair shifting to become that of a Conductoid; firing a red tinted beam directly at Menct. The Aluneca's arm shifted to that of a Crystalsapien, the blast being absorbed in his rocky flesh before Menct returned the blast ten-fold; striking Glukos in the head and causing him to roar in agony, eyes glowing a deep yellow hue before twin lasers fired out, Menct absorbing them both and redirecting the strength to zap him again. He was able to see now that Glukos was sloppy; consumed by his hunger for chaos and his malice of Menct, he was predictable…but at the same time unpredictable as well. With much of his body shifted to the aliens consumed in his quest, there was no telling which he could call upon next, and what he could do with that power as well.

He was literally a wildcard that always insisted on doing the same trick over and over again.

Glukos skidded back once more, and Menct lowered his fists, waiting to see what the monster would do this time.

"I grow tired of your persistence…your refusal to die." Glukos calmly spoke, all six arms crossing. "But, perhaps I should make this more…useful for myself; a means to truly gain the satisfaction of breaking you." His upper arm moved, shifting to that of Opticoid. Before Menct could question his intent, he fired a sharp beam at a passing ship, no doubt filled with aliens who came to defend Earth from the Incurseans and take it back…their wing was blown clean off and they were soon to crash! "Let us see if you are truly as dedicated as a Plumber as you say." Before Menct could even attempt to go after the ship Glukos' knee slammed into his head, following up with a savage right hook, sending Menct to the ground on his side.

"Did you think it would be that easy?" He questioned with maddened glee, Petrosapien arms forming the crystalline blasters they were so commonly used for. "Did you think I would just let you go save them? I want you to suffer Menct…I want you to break, so this entire pathetic planet follows suit. There's no one to save those weak lifeforms; the one called Ben Tennyson fights against the mutants, and your friends are elsewhere, soon to bear my brunt. Those worthless ones will all die, and when they do, it'll be on _your_ head." Glukos spread all six arms to the side, no doubt challenging Menct. "So, give me a show…struggle, fight, as I strangle the last bit of Earth's life from it." Menct lifted both fists, and when Glukos shot at him, the Aluneca dove right, shooting his fist for Glukos' head with the intent to smash it with something like a Tetramand's fist, or if push came to shove even that of Appoplexian if he needed.

Instead, he heard a low beeping sound, and the gauntlets on the Prototrix turned a sharp red color…it was glitching and now he couldn't use it! He was out of ideas; the Prototrix was never meant for the DNA shoved into it, and thus it was defective…Menct had to do something!

So, he did what he always did when he was scared; he turned, and rammed his claws into the ground, beginning to dig through the pavement and below ground.

The woosh of fire overhead told him he was seconds from being burned by Glukos.

He was well aware that somewhere in there, Glukos had the genes of a creature capable of digging. Because of this, he had to hurry…perhaps the time needed to save those in the downed ship would prove to be just enough for the Prototrix to recalibrate and, with some hope, turn itself back on. Menct didn't hold his breath; something like that seemed unlikely.

It was time to rely on his own powers for the time, and to save those downed people.

Menct's tremor sense told him the ship was nearby…and Glukos was a bit of a distance away. It seemed like he…really couldn't track Menct below ground; meaning it's possible he didn't have the DNA of an alien that would allow for such a thing. That meant eluding Glukos was easier than expected…a design flaw in his madness.

* * *

The Half Breed's claws ripped through the pavement, and Menct breached the street, crawling out and inspecting the destroyed vessel. He could see a few corpses on the ground…some human, and others belonging to various others. His mandibles clenched…they were dead because he wasn't fast enough.

"Help!" Menct's doubt of himself vanished briefly, as his head shot to the ship. He could see a few rocks were keeping it propped up, and with that also, he could see someone trapped, the rubble pinning their leg down. She was a hybrid, her skin a lime green color, eyes a deep amber hue, as her fingers ended in deep talons. Her raven locks covered one of her eyes and reached her neck, and she had a petite figure, covered with a messy blue jacket and brown shorts. The thing that stood out heavily was that on her upper back she sported a pair of long, insectoid wings; she was a human, Lepidoterran hybrid…something Menct didn't expect to see. His marvel of the situation was short lived; she was in danger, and he had to act. Bounding over on all fours, Menct's claws grasped onto the destroyed ship, trying to lift it as best he could to give the girl room to escape. The ship buckled and rocked, his muscles straining and tearing while he tried to lift it, to free her.

"I should have known…like a moth to the flame." Glukos won the academy award for interruptions; Menct felt Ben was rubbing off on him with that one. The eyeless glare of the half breed was upon him, mandibles tapping together to produce a furious, seething sound.

"Glukos…"

"Surprised? You shouldn't be; while it's quite troublesome to track you due to never consuming an Amperi or even an Ectonurite tracking my foes whereabouts can be quite troublesome. However, you'd of course go to the ship I downed, and try to save someone…it's funny; had you been too late, I'd have just consumed that worthless hybrid there before you; gain a better use from her DNA that she can." His arms converged to form the basic pair, but one shifted to that of a Galileo Galilei; the sudden intense gravity coming down on Menct and bringing him even more pain, the ground beneath him cracking from the increased gravity.

He also had to keep holding on; with the increased gravity, if he let go of the ship it would crush the girl and surely kill her.

"Hope is merely a means to an end; a justification to believe for those without any form of power. They use that word to keep themselves from succumbing to the inevitable darkness that is reality, to become truly aware of just how worthless their lives are. Yours is no different, Half Breeds have no place in this existence, for they are merely a result of genes gone astray. Now," His hand clenched, Menct's legs growing more in more pain, as the Gs were increased, Menct struggling to keep the ship up, even with his body gradually being torn apart.

"Do the universe a favor, and cease. To. Exist."

" **NO!"** Both of the gauntlets shifted to a blinding purple color, as the right one let out a shrill screeching noise before the words echoed out.

"Biotrix Cores stabilized; Species Evolution commencing." Power surged through Menct's body, one hand grasping the ship and keeping a firm hold on the downed ship before his fist rocketed into Glukos' face.

When the Pure breed skidded back, he was both livid and surprised at what he saw.

Menct's body was evolving and changing; growing at least a foot in size as his fin grew much longer, a secondary smaller fin breaking from his chitin. His tail thrashed onto the ground, as the tip shifted to that of a shark's fin. Spikes erupted from his elbows, several more bursting from his shoulders before he grew two long, curled horns on his head, the Aluneca standing tall and firm as the adverse gravity faded, Menct's arms shoving the ship back enough for the girl to escape.

"Prototrix Capacity upgraded," The device rang out, Menct turning to glare at Glukos. "Access to Evolved Xenofauna activated."

"Remember what you told me regarding hope?" Menct asked, geometric patterns trailing along his right arm before he pointed it at Glukos, the chitin distorting and shifting until it mirrored the Vaxasaurian once more…but different; lime green leathery hide merged with Menct's own crimson chitin, as his knuckles were boney and blocky. "You're wrong. Hope is the driving force that allows for the impossible to become the opposite, and for those with nothing to one day obtain it all. So now it's time for you to hope; hope that this doesn't crush you in one shot." His hand shifted to an organic minigun, and Glukos was rewarded with a bone missile to the face, the shots striking him in the head in rapid succession. Menct was finally being the aggressor. By the time Glukos recovered, Menct was already before him, arms shifting once more to an evolved Sonorosian; the sudden earsplitting frequency causing Glukos to grasp his head in torture. He took several steps back with each step, Menct increasing the frequency until it was nearly ear-splitting, soon driving his fist into the Pure breed's throat several times before slamming him into the ground.

"Where's all your power now?" Menct questioned, large purple spider legs rising from his back, giving him enough leverage to slam both fists down onto Glukos' head. "Where's that bravado you spoke about earlier?! Look around you, Glukos; the war's over and you've earned a spot in the Null Void for an eternity along with the various To'kustars mutants!" His fist smashed into his head once more, Menct's maw letting out a hellish roar before flames covered Glukos' arm, right before it froze, leaving it encased in ice. A smash later and pieces of ice fell to the floor…with chunks of Glukos' arm in there as well.

"Glukos, it's over." Menct finally spoke, remaining in his Ultimate form, Prototrix gauntlets still humming. "Now give up…there's nothing you can do to ever win."

…what really scared Menct was the fact that Glukos started laughing.

"Over? OVER?! HAHAHA! It's not over until I command it, and it will never end until I allow it!" His wings extended, the enemy Aluneca taking flight and bolting off, giving Menct a brief respite.

"Are you okay?" He asked, glancing to the hybrid; her nod gave him some relief on things…at least he was able to save one life with all the ones he ceased. "I need to go handle this…will you be okay…um…?"

"Aurora." She spoke, giving a calm grin even with the circumstances. "And thank you...you're that Plumber who many of us in Undertown saw in action; Metch right?"

"…Menct." He muttered, at least finding some joy out of things. But, the moment was short lived…he needed to get Glukos. "Will you be fine here?"

"I'll manage…keep protecting what we believe in, okay?" His hand pat her shoulder twice, and with that, he was out of time, already growing his own, red tinted Necrofriggian wings and taking flight to tail Glukos.

Menct had a feeling he knew where he was going…that wasn't good.

* * *

The Aluneca's wings returned to his form, Menct touching down atop a roof and steeling himself, trying to locate where his foe went. He glanced down to the Prototrix's gauntlet…while he was still in this form he had no clear idea for how long, the same could be said for his powers.

 _ **BOOM!**_

His head turned sharply to see the remains of the Incursean flagship crash down onto the ground…Menct was somewhat glad that while he kept the Pure Breed away, Ben no doubt took care of business and removed Milleous from the fight.

And like that it all clicked, Menct's wings returning and propelling him to the crash site as fast as possible. He landed on the ground, arms shifting to the Evolved Vaxasauian, both gatling guns aimed.

He saw the scene before him; Glukos standing there, hand gripping the Omnitrix, lifting Ben up as the device glowed a flux of colors, while the frog emperor and his daughter wore masks of confusion and worry. Even Menct's team was present, Aquas being the first to turn to Menct in worry.

"Menct! What the hell is he doing? Is he trying to rip the damned watch from Ben?"

"Worse…Pure Breeds can take an entire DNA sample from just a single drop of blood…he no doubt consumed a Galvanic Mechamorph in his time." Ben hit the ground, Omnitrix timed out to a red color, while Glukos' laugh grew distorted and two toned, the Aluneca beginning to grow, to rise in size before them. "With that logic…he just took a sample of nearly every lifeform in existence. All the aliens within the Omnitrix…he has access to their powers!"

"And I intend to use every bit of it!" His foot smashed down, every single bit of DNA present on his form, as he returned to the six arms from before. "Now, DIE!"

"Aquas, Magister, get everyone out of the park and to cover, now!" Menct shouted, just as Glukos' ten eyes all fell upon him. "I'm handling Glukos once and for all!" He open-fired with the same bone missiles as before, ignoring the protests of his team and narrowly avoiding a massive crystal when it smashed into the ground.

"Guys, I need you all to run; I'm the only one who stands any form of a chance against this monster with the Prototrix, and we don't know how long until Ben's Omnitrix resumes its function. I'm the one he wants, and I'm the one who can end this nightmare, once and for all. Leave this to me…like the good ol' days, right?" He barely dodged the towering beast's foot, firing more heat canceling ice flames out to counter the sudden glob of web fired by Glukos' Arachnichimp tail, the web shattering moments later. Even as he fought, Menct was trying to think of what to do…how to do it. Glukos had become a literal monster; a walking freak! He had all the powers of Ben's aliens…and that meant somewhere in there, he had the DNA of the Celestialsapian he sought, so at any given time things could take a turn for the worst and he could bend time along with space to his will.

So, the only goal he had left was to no doubt destroy the world.

"There you are!" The booming voice snapped Menct from his thoughts, as he watched all six of Glukos' arms come together, each forming a glowing ball of blood red energy at the forearms.

The To'kustar beam.

"…shit." Menct had nowhere to run, nor anywhere to hide, especially considering that with six arms, he could fire the beam in at least three directions. He did have an idea, one nigh suicidal. Both arms shifted to the Crystalsapien once more. Those were energy blasts, that meant he could absorb the blasts and redirect them. If he pulled this off…he could at least damage Glukos in his most powerful form.

…it was time to make another miracle happen. The goal wasn't to beat him no; it was to buy enough time for Ben to get the Omnitrix back online so he could whip out someone like Alien X or even Atomix to eradicate Glukos; with that Celestialsapien DNA in there, sending him to the Null Void wasn't an option, and the second he figured out he had access to that sort of power it'd all end.

The tri blast fired, and Menct raised both arms.

…the results were not what he expected whatsoever. He absorbed _some_ of the blast…but not all. The ground beneath Menct gave away, as his chitin burned like no tomorrow. And soon, he felt nothing, the ground giving away as the Prototrix humming and soon powering down to the red color, as Menct fell. He impacted the rocky ground, a rock stabbing into his ribs and piercing them, as the rocks fell and piled up atop him.

And soon, the world of the darkness retook him. Menct was buried alive, near death, as he just…lay there, lacking the strength to move the rocks nor to breath.

… _this is how it ends…_

His thoughts roamed, occupied by the thoughts that unlike the other times, there was truly no way to escape this situation. He was battered and in critical condition, buried under nearly a mile of dirt and rocks, and if he didn't run out of air first the pain from his many erupted wounds would kill him, especially the critical one along his side, were his muscle and blood openly trickled from…it was over. He didn't know if Ben had gotten the Omnitrix back online, and even if he did, there was a low chance that he could truly beat him with his forms and power.

…he failed.

" _Menct, it's not over."_ Even while trapped under rubble, he turned his head gradually, unsure if it was the agony but he could see Rubiac standing there, arms crossed, with a purple, ghostly sheen enveloping him. _"A Plumber never truly gives in; even under unfathomable odds, they rarely surrender and they damn sure never give up."_

"But…I can't move…everything hurts."

" _I know it does…but like in Incarcecon you faced unstoppable odds, and like the Omnitrix hero himself you didn't let them overwhelm you. The floods of evil washed over you, and you withstood against that flood, like a rock amidst the vast oceans. You've beaten the impossible…I'm confident that you can do it once more, for what could be the last time."_

"Rubiac, what else can I-ack-do? The Prototrix is down and I'm bleeding out…I can't fight any more." He heard his commander sigh, and Menct watched him approach, kneeling down in front of the Aluneca, Menct still able to see the…hole in his chest; where he was struck.

" _You know the answer more than I do; the answer to your problem rests within…Glukos' is a maddened one of your kind, dangerous and insane…now tell me Menct, what can beat an insane, maddened Aluneca?"_

"…another…one?" And like that, it dawned onto Menct; mind catching up on what he needed to do in order to stop Glukos and save everything he held near and dear. His arm moved, freeing itself from the rubble, as he concentrated, focused; trying to increase his slim Biometrics enough for the gauntlet to ping a positive green color. He sucked in air, trying to ignore the pain from his side and chest, mandibles twitching as the words came out.

"Proto-I mean…Biotrix…commence…DNA merge…Protocol seventy-six. Add all available DNA samples…into user bloodstream."

"Affirmative, User Password Required, as well as entry point into user body." While it took some effort, Menct pressed the other gauntlet to his bleeding side, inhaling a bit to keep from going into shock and losing control of things.

"Password…True…Plumber."

And with that, his hand clenched, mandibles flaring as he felt one feeling.

Power.

* * *

Another ship smashed into the ground, Glukos letting out another bellowing roar as his arm shifted into the Segmentosapien cannon, peppering another Tetramand ship with the blocks and causing it to explode in the air from the shots. His lower arm shot out, grabbing onto a person and crushing them, letting the bloodied chunks splatter against the ground. Yenth tossed Aquas another battery for the Plasma RPG, Plumbers in the road open firing at the rampaging beast with a merger between typical blasters and mobile APCs but nothing made the difference as he easily manipulated gravity and lifted them, before slamming them into the ground with enough force to turn them into bloody, or fiery, chunks of meat. Epsilon Squad was present in one of the buildings, taking cover and working to do their part in helping take Glukos down…though even they knew that with his current form, they could do fairly little.

Still, they needed to give an attempt. They needed to at least play a hand in defending Earth from a threat they never expected.

"Yenth, how many more of those charges do we have?" Aquas asked, aiming the launcher and firing it at the Aluneca's head. He didn't even need to look to see that the most they did was take an eye out; an eye that would no doubt grow back before they could fire another shot. "We need to see if we can take advantage of his flaws in that form."

"He changes every single time we go for a flawed spot on him. Aquas, we gotta evacuate…there's no way we can beat this monster."

"We can't pull out," The Orishan snapped, turning to glare at Veele when she spoke those fabled words. "If we attempt an evacuation of Bellwood and the rest of the planet, then Glukos will still remain…and that means the entire galaxy will be at his mercy; worse than Vilgax could ever manage." Aquas took aim once more, casting his glance back to the park…where their friend's abrupt grave was. He didn't rule out entirely that Menct was gone but…the odds seemed slim. But, he refused to lose his hope; he placed it all on Menct, and thus, he refused to lose it. "So Epsilon Squad will stay and fight…it's the only way to ensure that the galaxy stays safe, even if it means we're lost." And he had to ignore Hauntra crying in the back, Sarc doing his best to comfort her.

" _ **RRRRAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!"**_

The very sound of that rattled everyone to their very bone. Aquas was first to point, the rubble at the park shifting and moving before it literally exploded off, something gradually rising. It took some time for the squad to realize it was Menct…namely because it looked far different than the norm for him.

He stood near the same height as Glukos now, arms crossed triumphantly. His torso was that of a Vaxasaurian, with his left arm being that of a Appoplexian, claw included, and the right one that of a Talpaedan. His legs were normal, the pants hugging his form still even with the sporadic growth he had, tail thrashing against the ground, with the Florauna DNA making it up. To finish Menct's new look, his fin was that of a Methanosian, ignited and ablaze on his back.

It was as if he succumbed to the same raw, animosity Glukos did, but…different…more in control even with that sort of maddening power. Menct's fists collided a few times, a bellowing roar leaving him.

"You succumbed to the same powers I did…how sad." Glukos chided, all six arms crossing. "Unlike myself, you can only maintain that form for a certain duration…you can't stay in it forever."

"I don't need to; I just need this form long enough to send you to the Null Void, and from there I can silence you once and for all. We're on the same playing field," Menct spoke, his Appoplexian arm shifting to that of a Petrosapien, and then to that of even a Vaxasaurian. "It means now, all that power of yours is about to come back and crush you into a bloody pulp." Glukos wasted no time, rushing at Menct, arms all prepared to deliver the first strike. Menct's response was quicker, bringing both hands out in the blink of an eye to clap them against the Pure Breed's head, causing him to clutch his head, roaring in pain before Menct's arms reached out, each grasping one of Glukos' lower arms and, after planting his clawed foot on his chest, tugged and tugged.

A sickening snap resonated, and Menct tossed down two of Glukos' severed arms.

"My arms! You fool; I can merely regrow those!" To demonstrate, both arms that were lost grew back in the blink of an eye, this time of a Galvanic Mechamorph. Menct merely shrugged in response…he knew something Glukos didn't and he intended to abuse it.

Pure Breeds had a healing factor that operated at hyperactive speeds…but it could be overtaxed, and when that happened they became weaker. He knew this because his own healing factor was already overtaxed; nothing in the universe could heal itself constantly, at least not without equal exchange.

Glukos' tail shot towards Menct, the Half Breed catching it in his shifted Segmentosapian arm to nullify the shift he made to the tail being coated in flames before slicing it off as well with a Petrosapien one, tossing down the discarded piece. He could already see Glukos was regrowing the lost part, and that was good…all he had to do was avoid getting severely hurt and he could kill the bastard once and for all. All six of Glukos' arms shifted to To'kustar ones, priming at least three beams once more. Menct's response was much faster; the Aluneca lowering himself down, legs leaving deep dents in the pavement before he leapt into the air, avoiding the beams and cracking his fist into Glukos' head, the resonating crunch noise making the onlookers cringe in agony at the sounds of it. The Pure breed smashed into the ground, two arms holding his wounded skull while the others lifted him, the second pair of arms shifting to Flourauna ones, shooting them at Menct, and of course they were easily hacked and slashed apart, Menct approaching Glukos and kicking him back down to the ground.

"You lorded yourself over others for far too fucking long, Glukos," Menct spoke, ensuring the former was down as he lifted his Petrosapien blade arm, bringing it down to impale his shoulder, dragging it down and literally severing his torso in several places; a wrench left being what was needed to actually rip away three of Glukos' arms at once. Menct did feel some pain when Glukos' leg collided with his chest, the force enhanced by the Orthopterran DNA. Menct landed on his side for a brief moment, rising just in time to watch Glukos stand up, letting out a savage, predatory roar…and show just what Menct had done to him.

He had gone from six arms in total to two; having to use much of his energy to regenerate from the damages sustained. His plan was working!

"I will not stand for this!" Glukos wailed, actually going berserk; losing himself and forgetting Menct was down…and moments later the Aluneca was in front of him, hand lifting slowly.

"Remember these words well Glukos, for you should carry these with you when you see Rubiac." Menct's arm shifted to the drill arm of the Talpaedan, revving up with unstoppable speed. "Hope is the truest power in the universe, it is the reason good always triumphs over evil, no matter the power they possess, and it's the reason why creatures like me exist; to obliterate monsters like you." Menct's drill arm shot forward, and Glukos's own collided with Menct, his arm also a drill and revving up with the same speed. The resulting force created a shockwave; glass shattering in buildings and the ground rippling from the force. Menct gripped his arm, steadying it and holding it in place as Glukos did the same. This was the final showdown…the final act in the fight that would determine it all. Menct's drill continued to spin, as did Glukos', though the latter gradually took a step forward, causing Menct to step back.

"Hope gets you nowhere in this universe. You're either born into power, or your use in this universe is to serve others. Is that what you are Menct? A servant to the Plumbers; willing to risk it all for a planet not even yours, for a galaxy that's not even yours to begin with! Ha! And you continue to prattle on about hope? Let me educate you on why that truly gets nowhere—" Menct's arm clamped around his throat, silencing his words.

"And let me educate _you_ on what will happen now; I'm going to save this galaxy from you, and I'm gonna prove to every single Pure Breed in existence that a Half Breed like me _can_ do great things!"

And with that, Menct's arm shot to the right, throwing Glukos' off balance, and he rammed his drill straight into Glukos' chest, letting it spin to further shred the Pure-Breed's torso into a bloody pulp. Blood spluttered out and coated the street below, Menct continuing to spin the drill before finally throwing his arm forward, throwing Glukos to the ground. The resulting splat noise was harrowing for those around…but not as much so as the sight of Glukos still standing up, even with a hole in his torso. The wound gradually began to heal, but the cost was great; Glukos gradually grew smaller and smaller, Menct's own size regressing as he pressed his hand to his injury…he wasn't with a lot of time. The longer he stalled, the higher chance there was of Glukos managing to outlast him. The two Aluneca stood there in the road, one with a calm stance, and the other panicked and out of options…it was not hard to guess which was which.

"You've yet to win, Menct…YOU'VE YET TO WIN!" His wings spread, Glukos propelling himself into the air, Menct following his path before the Pure Breed hovered in the air, high above Bellwood, with his arms crossed over one another. "EVEN WITH ALL THE POWER IN THE UNIVERSE, YOU STILL SOMEHOW CONTINUE TO BE A THORN IN MY SIDE! IF I CAN'T KILL YOU, I CAN DAMN SURE DESTROY THE WORLD YOU HOLD SO PRECIOUS!" His entire body started to glow, channeling the DNA of every single alien in his body for one unstoppable, devastating attack…a planet destroyer. Menct could see the concerned faces of his friends from the building they were in…he could see the faces of dozens of scared humans and aliens alike. Menct looked down to the Prototrix…it was dimming somewhat, and he could feel his wounds still openly bleeding out.

Still, there was a way to win this.

He inhaled slowly, and his own arms crossed over his torso, soon diverting as one contained the rainbow-colored spectrum that was the Crystalsapien…and the other the black, dimensional distortion called the Celestialsapian.

" **I WILL END YOU ALL!"** Glukos fired his own beam, and Menct waited, lifting his Ceslestialsapien arm. Soon, he saw his chance, and, after winding his fist up, he launched it forward.

The resulting force obliterated several buildings, and much more…but from where he was, Ben could see just what Menct did.

He used the Celestialsapien arm to literally _punch_ the planet destroying beam back at Glukos, and the Crystalsapien one to absorb the residual energy! He pulled something he'd think of…and with it, he saved the Earth from total annihilation! Cheers erupted from everywhere, various aliens and humans rushing into the road, Menct finding himself surrounded by those he saved…despite the pain his body, he still managed to muster a toothy smile for them…to be the hope he needed to be.

"Menct!" He turned a bit to see his team fighting their way through the crowd, Hauntra being the first to cling to his torso, cheering. "Holy shit! Y-You did it! You saved Earth!"

"Hell, probably even the whole damn universe!" Yenth added on, laughing as well. The cheers continued to radiate, as Ben approached the wounded hero along with the others who hid away, the Omnitrix hero taking a moment to glance at the damage and destruction caused from the fight with Glukos.

"Whew…gotta say Menct; you beat my record for most destruction in a fight!" He chided, playfully tapping the Aluneca's shoulder. "But you did it…we're all safe."

"N…ot…quite…" The cheers fell silent, as they all watched the devil rise from the pits of hell. Glukos emerged from the crater created by the impact, his entire tail, arm, and wings were missing. But despite it all, he was alive…and Menct couldn't allow that. "I have one…fi…nal trick to show you…something you can't possibly destroy in your limited life now Menct."

And like that, Glukos' torso started to glow; veins tracing along his torso, as his laughter grew more and more haunting with each passing second. Soon, he was a living light, glowing and shaking…and Aquas was the first to catch on to what his final act was.

"He's trying to blow himself up!" The crowd dissipated under layers of panicked screams and terror; soon Menct and the others remained standing, staring down Glukos as he prepared his final move. "Ben, is the Omnitrix up and running?!"

"Sure, just lemme—" He got his answer when he glanced to the water, eyes narrowing in annoyance when he saw the red lines still. "See that it's still out…right. Anyhow, he used up all his energy right? Can't be that big of an explosion."

"You'd be wrong," Menct spoke, able to still talk over the sound of Glukos' frantic laughter. "He had strength to spare in the fight, because he planned this from the start…if I'm correct…the Celestialsapien DNA he has will come into effect here." Menct's next words were like a shotgun shell to the entire team.

"He plans to take out the universe."

"Universe?! How?!" Yenth was in panic mode once again. "How the hell can he have that much power left?!"

"Celestialsapiens can do many things, Ben was fabled to have restored the entire Universe using his Alien X form once with a small amount of his power…it's no surprise that Glukos can use all of his spare power and some of the unstoppable DNA to remove that universe from existence. Once he reaches full power…we all die."

"…so…what now?" Ben finally asked, Menct able to hear the sorrow and sadness in his voice…at being powerless to save the universe, like he was so used to. "What else can we do to stop this from happening?" Menct's response was simple; he took a few steps forward, ignoring the agony in his body with each step, as he soon shifted his legs to that of a Celestialsapien. He snatched a communicator from Aquas, locked his arms around Glukos' waist, and seemed to…distort. It took the group a moment realize that Menct had actually propelled himself into space, having gone fast enough to leave only a sonic boom in his wake! The airless space didn't work well with Menct's body; the wounds he had on him beginning to slowly worsen, blood trailing behind him as he continued to propel himself and Glukos further and further into space, and further and further away from Earth. Glukos roared and flailed, but Menct knew he was too weak to shake him off.

"Menct?! Menct what the fuck are you doing?!" He heard Aquas ask, Menct moving the communicator to his mouth and speaking, even with the strain it put on him to speak in a realm without air. "What the hell are you thinking?!"

"Ben can't do this…no one can. Glukos will destroy everything we worked to save unless I do this."

"Do what?! Menct please, tell me what the hell you're planning?!"

"When I was first thrown from my home…my galaxy...I passed a black hole. Glukos can't destroy the universe if I hurl him in there to let that distortion rip him apart in his weakened state…the wounds and injuries I have will prevent me from surviving the final effort, I'm afraid."

"Menct, there's gotta be another way! We need you here! Everyone here doesn't want you to do this! Please, there's another way—"

"Aquas, thank you. To you and the others…I never had the chance to tell you thank you for letting me amongst your ranks; for letting me join your team. I was but a stranger…but you guys gave me things I was denied at birth: friendship, kindness, compassion…a family worth fighting, and dying, to protect. Do you remember what Rubiac said? A Plumber must be willing to do…whatever it takes to save the galaxy...even this."

"Menct…I've lost enough. I can't lose you too. You're my friend, our symbol of peace and hope…we need you."

"I've already paved the way for you and the others…now please, for me…walk along it. Go forth into that shining dawn called the future…and I'll be watching you all go, from beyond." The signal began to break up…they were close. His eyeless gaze locked onto the black hole ahead, swirling and devouring all that was close. He could still feel Glukos thrash and snarl, before finally, he ceased all actions; it was as if he had finally given up and accepted that he had failed, and this was how he would die.

"To think…something as insignificant as you…managed to defeat me." He managed a chuckle, the veins throbbing more and more, as a sign that he was close to exploding. "…perhaps you were born in the wrong flesh…you should have been a Pure Breed from the start."

"I'm glad I wasn't. Being who I am taught me so much, and let me do so many things. If I had been a Pure Breed, with everything given to me at birth…I'd not know the true meaning of hope…to continue fighting to make a future for myself everyone could walk. But…I suppose I won't be around to see that time come." The Prototrix began to beep rapidly…it was almost out of power. His maw curled into a smile, even as he released Glukos, yet the black hole continued to pull the both of them towards it with its unseen tendrils. He wasn't sure which he would perish from…the coldness and airlessness of space, his injuries as the vacuum tugged his insides out…or the black hole ripping him apart.

He didn't care. Menct knew that when he pulled the Prototrix on…he'd die at the end of this story. He knew there was no way he could survive in his pursuit of happiness. But, at least he would die happy, knowing those he loved were okay.

He had finally become a true Plumber...although it took his end to make it happen.

* * *

Aquas clenched the communicator tightly in his hands, as he saw the explosion; a dazzling array of colors that lit up the sky. Even from where they were, they had a front row seat to watch Glukos finally die, along with their best friend. There was no miracle for Menct; no logic defying action he was iconic for; like on the planets they fought on, or how he made his triumphant return…Menct was gone and there was nothing he could do about it, except attempt to live on like how the Aluneca wanted. He wanted to cry…he wanted to break down and wallow in the fact that their best friend just died saving the entire universe.

But he refused…he had to be strong, for his friends.

"Aquas?" He heard Max ask him, the Orishan glancing over to him. "Are you alright, son?"

"I'm fine, Magister Tennyson…I'm okay." He glanced up, towards the dazzling spectacle that was Glukos' demise, and Menct's final shine to save all that he believed in. As the Plumbers worked on cleanup and various other things, the Orishan looked out at the aftermath of the war, and in the wake of his overwhelming grief, even he had to see the good Menct did, and the future they could all walk into…the future he paved for them and now expected them to walk. Aquas flicked his hand, a silent command for the Squad to begin walking, as they needed to assist in the cleanup detail and help restore Bellwood to how it was prior to the fabled attack. However, before he left, the Orishan team leader gave Max one final statement to honor the fallen in this grim war.

"I'm gonna shine on, sir, like my best friend did every single day he stood with us."

 **End**


	14. Epilouge

"You wanted to see me, Magister Tennyson?" The Orishan Captain of Epsilon Squad stood before the aged man, standing in the board room, silent as ever. Aquas was more decorated in armor now, a testament to his ascension through the ranks following the war that ravaged Earth. True to his status of Captain, he wore a pale white chest piece on his torso, the Omnitrix emblem on the right breast, as his forearms were encased in the same armor. He had the same armor on his shins and lower body, and overall, he had an aura of command and authority now, as opposed to his typical status of a leader and a rag tag planner.

"I did, yes." The old man spoke, leaning back in his chair. "How ya holdin up?"

"…decent, sir. Menct's funeral was a bit hard on all of us but…he died a hero." Aquas did have to shake his head a bit…it still hurt thinking about it, but he had to be strong. "But, we're okay now."

"I'll hope so…how's the team?"

"Divided; following Earth being saved and our team being awarded several Medals of Honor, we all decided to split up and doing various things. I guess he was the glue keeping us together and with him melted away we fell apart."

"Hmm? Do tell."

"After they made their relationship official, Yenth and Veele moved to be stationed on Khoros; they wanted to ensure that the Tetramands kept their word on not attacking Earth, what with Looma essentially widowed before she could even gather the parts for their wedding. Hauntra and Sarc went back to their home system, trying to prevent another Ectonurite attack from happening like with us on that Station."

"And Tarator? The Sotoraggian you were teamed with? Last I heard, he and the Loboan had a falling out."

"He's trying to set up peace conferences between Sotoragg and major Plumbers such as yourself; Frogert's doing the same with the now Empress Attea…hard to think the second things looked up she pulled that card out of her ass that she could just level the planet."

"A dirty trick for a dirty frog; none the less, they've gone back to last year's boundaries. If they get out of line, I'm sure Ben can rough 'em up and make them cooperate."

"I don't doubt it. As for Bella, she decided to work as a mobile field officer; she travels from planet to planet to heal Plumbers in warzones and give them combat support until they can either pull back accordingly, or win. So far she's yet to lose a single Plumber because of this."

"And I suppose that's everyone."

"…everyone except him." Aquas's fingers drummed on the table; the Orishan thinking for a moment. "The statue they made of him at the heart of HQ's a bit wrong though…they forgot the Omnitrix emblem on his shoulder. Heh…he always liked that sort of armor."

"I know…but his death was what ensured Earth's triumph and gave us another day; giving us the chance to count our blessings and ensure the universe stays a safe place, what with Ben and his friends gone to explore that new one created with the defeat of the Chronosapien. I suppose we'll all just have to work harder until he gets back." Max slid over a small PDA-like device, Aquas picking it up and giving it a few taps. "In the meantime, I need you to go to the worlds your old team are stationed; it's the One Year Anniversary of the Plumber's Defeat over the Incurseans…and also it means we need to mourn those who had fallen. Your team knew Menct…it's best for them to give their words on him and what they thought of him to record so we can have them play at the service; I know it'll be hard but since not every Plumber can afford to be present we're just taking recordings of big statements." Though it sent a pang of pain through his heart, Aquas begrudgingly agreed, sliding the recorder into his armored pocket.

"I'll get it done as soon as I can, Magister Tennyson."

* * *

The desert sand shifted with each step Aquas made across it. He didn't like Khoros that much; obviously because as a mollusk it messed with his natural hydration. None the less, he kept himself moving, soon reaching the massive gates that made up the bazaar where Gar Red Wind was located…as well as where his two companions were stationed. The Tetramand guards saw him and opened the gates without question; Aquas had done this enough times to the point his very sight made the guards open the gates for him. He was greeted with the same hustle and bustle of the shops that was common, and after walking for quite some time he could hear the steady jabbering of Yenth and Veele…the latter no doubt trying to convince the Loboan _not_ to buy a Crabdozer a strange merchant was selling. Both of them changed in the year; Yenth a bit taller and clad in black pants with a single gauntlet to reflect the harsh desert life that was Khoros. Veele looked the same as she did before, but now she was clad in a pair of brown shorts, her torso clad in spandex and two shoulderpads. It was clear that she was the inside one, whereas Yenth was the one to venture outside and explore the desert. He listened in on their conversation as he approached them, already remembering some of their old times.

"But c'mooon! Look at 'im! He's begging to be ridden around as an awesome warmount!"

"For the last time, Yenth, no! Those things eat our friends!" The Orishan merely shook his head, and angled himself right behind Yenth before firing a sudden jet of water at the back of his head, giving a few low chuckles in response to the wolf's sudden whimpering in response to getting wet; not even batting an eye when he turned with a snarl.

"Aq?! Why the hell didja do that?"

"You were being a jackass again…besides, you'd be better off with something smaller, like a Terroranchula." Veele merley rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Good to see you two again."

"Likewise…I'm guessin' ya didn't come out for shoppin'?"

"…no. The Magister wanted me to record some words from us all on…him." Yenth's face shifted to that of sadness, his clawed hand running through his matted hair. "…Yenth, will you be okay?"

"I-I guess…why'd you ask?"

"Because at Menct's funeral you were crying…a lot, and trying to tear open the ground with the hope that he was down there. We all were; hell I think Hauntra's convinced he's alive out there…it's why she went to Anur Transyl in the first place; she thinks if she can get in touch with her Ectonurite Powers well enough she could track him down...or at the very least give herself enough closure to let it all rest at last."

"Yeah…girl's a mess. Anyhow…" Aquas lifted the recording device, holding it near his friend's maw to hear his solemn words regarding their friend. "Menct was…fuck it; he was a true Plumber. When he first came onto the team I was skeptical of him cause he seemed…weird; dangerous even. I took it back a long time ago." Aquas could already see Yenth brimming with tears…old wounds were being opened. But even with this, he kept trying to go on. "Every time we were scared…every single fucking time we were in a jam he'd be there for us…sometimes I think that whenever I get into a jam now, I'll turn around and he'll be there for me but…" Yenth stopped for a moment, choking on his words. "…he's gone. And I miss him so fuckin' much, I miss my fuckin' bro so DAMN MUCH!" Veele was already hugging him, Aquas stopping the device and sliding it into his pocket…he got the impression Veele would be too busy comforting the sobbing wolf to give her own words.

"…I'm sorry I opened old wounds." However, lumbering footsteps behind him told him someone was approaching; a sharp turn was all that was needed to give him the sight of Gar Red Wind approaching, arms folded behind him.

"Ah, the Orishan…how are things?" He bore no malice to them, mainly Aquas could sense some confusion from him. "And what brings you here to Khoros? Had I'd known you were coming I'd have arranged for you to have a gift."

"It's okay…I was here for an eulogy from my friends on Menct…the one who died saving Earth." Gar's face softened, and a sigh left him. "Would you like to contribute?"

"I'd be honored…while I didn't know about Menct's background, no, I knew he had heart. He was strong, bold, and even in the face of death and unfathomable odds he stood unfaltering, like a Tetramand to a Sand Ripper in the midst of the desert. I wish he had been born a Tetramand…that spirit is one we've longed for."

"Thank you…how is Looma doing?"

"I suppose she's well," Gar rolled his hand, shaking his head. "Being a Widow has some hardships for her but she's not in a true sense of sadness. She'll be fine, I'm a warlord second, and a father first." Satisfied, Aquas thanked everyone for their time, and began to walk; beginning the long trek back to his ship to make the jump to the dark, scary systems of Anur Transyl.

The captain steeled himself moments later…he had the feeling he was about to venture into another nightmare.

* * *

He had to keep his E-Handgun off safety as he walked; Aquas not liking the stares and looks people were giving him. It made sense…he was an outsider to their Halloween-esque home, and therefore he was considered odd, different…and to them, terrifying. He didn't care for that though; he was here to find the Plumber base established, the small facility based around the outskirts of the major town. A sharp rap at the door was what was needed to open it, and Aquas calmly leaned back, easily avoiding the flying tackle Hauntra tried to ensnare him in. The Ectonurite Hybrid had changed a bit, now dressed in a sleeveless blue hoodie with the Omnitrix emblem on the back of it, her black jeans shorts blending with her grey sneakers; hair being much longer and obscuring her hooded face. He could, at the very least, see her smile.

"Aq! How're ya doing?!" The year had made her even more active and even more quick. "Didja come to inspect the base? Built it myself!"

"Not yet; your inspection isn't due for another few months and even then, a Magister's gotta head it, not me." The door was closed and Aquas took a seat, the small base really being a few gizmos and other things, along with a bedroll Hauntra slept in and a few various pieces of furniture. Sarc was there as well, unraveled to tap at various things; the mummy not changed at all in the years' time.

"Evening, Sarc." Aquas spoke, giving a firm nod to the Mummy…only to hear him speak moments later.

"It's in the morning, sir." And like that, Aquas felt like a jackass. None the less, he did his best to calm down the erratic Hauntra before sitting her down, calling Sarc over as well.

"Guys, Magister Tennyson wanted me to get some words from the two of you regarding Menct's death."

"What death? Aquas, he's out there somewhere, I just know it. He just didn't come back to Earth!" Sarc slowly slipped away, Aquas could tell he wasn't keen on being a part of another of Hauntra's delusional rants. "I've been training and scanning for life energy; I'm getting so _close_ to figuring out where he is!"

"Hauntra…he's gone. Nothing can survive a black hole."

"But do we have any proof that he's dead?! Do we have any evidence to say he's dead?!" Her voice was raised, as the hybrid slowly levitated, fists balled. "He was your friend, Aquas! Why aren't you trying to find him too?!"

"Because I'm facing the truth! The truth that I never wanted to face! My best friend died saving the universe! He died a hero, the purest form of a Plumber! I know you wanna hold onto your faith Hauntra, but sooner or later we're gonna have to face it…he's gone." Aquas could see the tears streaming down her pale face, as she slowly lowered; the Orishan pulling her into a hug, feeling her shudder and sob in grief. "…Menct wouldn't want us to dwell in the past forever…he wanted every single one of us to shine on and become something greater than we are now." He released the hug after some time, a water-logged sigh leaving him. "Look, if you think he's alive…then go ahead…just make sure you go in with the knowledge he's possibly dead. You're right though, there was no body, but there's also no proof that Menct survived either…but continue your search if you want to."

"…okay." He wiped away a stream of tears with his thumb, withdrawing the device with his free hand.

"Now, the Magister wants me to gather our views on Menct…what do you have to say?" He mashed the button to start the device, Hauntra trying her best to compose herself so her voice wasn't shaky and tear-stained.

"Menct…he was an amazing friend. Whenever we needed a hero, he was there; fighting and nearly dying to protect us." He could see she was still shaken up. "If it weren't for him…I don't think I'd be here; we'd all have died on Hathor. He was, fuck it; he still _is_ my friend…like the strongest Ectonurite, not even the grave can hold that spirit of his. Menct…you were the greatest friend I've ever had, and I'm glad I got the chance to explore the universe with you protecting me." Aquas didn't even stop the tear flow she had; she had earned the right to let the out. The Orishan paused the device, and turned his head over towards the mummy.

"Sarc, anything you'd like to contribute?"

"…Menct was a good soldier, and someone I could look up to; even when things looked their bleakest, it seemed like he'd pull something out and use it. With him gone, I suppose that heroic valor falls to us now, as opposed to him." A suitable answer, Aquas tucked the device into his pocket and gave Hauntra one final hug before turning to leave, heading back towards the Plumber ship he took and ignoring the Ectonurite kids trying to scare and bother him; a few words were all it took to scare them away.

With the storm of sadness passing over, now it was time to go talk to the old fighter of Epsilon Squad…and if Aquas had a hunch, then they'd all be there as well.

* * *

Various Plumbers greeted him as he walked through the pristine white halls of the Hathor Space Station. Following the Incursean attack, the Plumbers set up a mobile base at Hathor, as a means to police the planets further away from Earth and restock Plumbers in warzones much easier than before. It also meant that Tarator had to be here, seeking treatment from Bella from yet another mission that he didn't expect to go south. The doors to the medbay slid open and sure enough, the Sotoraggian sat there on the table, his entire chest armor gone and his leathery, tan skin on display; Bella working to apply some sort of pink gel to his back to numb the spot before reaching for a needle; no doubt she was just preparing him for a quick surgery to remove some bullets.

"Captain Aquas," Tarator was off the table and on the ground, arm raised over his chest in the form of a formal salute. "It's a pleasure to see you. How are things on Earth."

"At ease, Tarator. They're decent; with my promotion to Captain I'm soon being considered for Magister due to my involvement in the Incursean assaults."

"That's amazing sir!" Frogert too? The Incursean defector was seated at a desk, typing away at a holographic keyboard while giving the Orishan a warm grin. "It's good to see all that effort's paid off."

"It has…what are you doing though, Frogert? Unlike Tarator bullets and other projectiles tend to miss you." The Sotoraggian's grumble was amusing to him.

"Oh, I'm just working; I was stationed here a few weeks ago and I've been trying to negotiate a trading route with the newly crowned Empress Attea. On her regard as well, she also sent a few weapons crates and other goods as well; all situated now in the station."

"This is unlike her…for what reason?"

"In her words, closure…I think she knows the date as well." And like that, the mood fell, even for Bella, as she injected the serum into Tarator's back and got the tools needed to heal him. "Not sure what sort of attachment she had to…him, but it was enough to have her send over some good and resources to help us mourn the loss of our fallen."

"She wanted Menct to join her; when he refused and even went as far as to save her life a few times she started to develop a demented obsession with him. I guess with him gone she's also feeling some grief. None the less, I didn't come to remember the glory days…Maxwell wants me to record your words on Menct to play at the service soon; it's the one year mark on that day he saved us all." Silence filled the room, before Frogert saved his work, soon standing moments later.

"I'll go first then; to g-get us started, I suppose." Aquas activated the device and set it down, letting Frogert clear his throat before speaking. "Menct was a friend I never had before; I only knew him for such a short time and even then, he changed my life in ways I can't even begin to describe. If it weren't for him I'd still be with the Incurseans, doing things for them and being treated like a lower class lapdog because of my rank. When he died, I was heartbroken, yes, but he wanted us to shine on and become something great…following his example, I wanna do great things for the universe, and one day I plan to bridge the barriers with all species in the galaxy, so we can all be united, once and for all."

"Good, and…you, Bella?" She put down a brush-like tool, turning towards Aquas so she could speak.

"I didn't know Menct personally, but his actions his effort made him someone I wish I did. He had more courage and more valor than many Plumbers I've come across in warzones; if he were still with us, I'm sure he'd make a bigger difference than even the likes of Ben Tennyson."

"Thank you, Bella,…and…as for you, old friend?" Tarator was quiet, before his hands clenched together, a heavy, sorrow riddled sound leaving him.

"When I first met Menct, in that station, I expected him to be a stranger and something that'd give me problems and issues. But he was nothing of the sort. Menct was there for me when I needed him, and even as we fought against unfathomable odds in the wide arc of places we're used to, I still knew that as long as he was with me, we'd pull through, and we'd win. With him gone…I keep expecting to get into a firefight and look over my shoulder to see him there, firing and defending me. But…I'm always denied that. It was an amazing experience to ever know Menct, and it's one I'd never easily forget." The device stopped, and Aquas pat the Sotoraggian's shoulder, already able to tell that under that emotionless helmet of his, he was torn up about this; about everything.

"Thanks; all of you. I'll be back another day…in a time like this, sticking together is our best and quite possibly most powerful bet after all." He was saying this for more than just their benefit, but his as well; he could already feel the same depression that rose with Menct's death claw and snap at him.

He couldn't be strong all the time, and that was for certain.

* * *

The service was a…hard one for the captain; with all the eulogies played and the 21 gun salute being done for every single Plumber who perished against the Incurseans: some having been executed, others killed in action, and in some sadder cases having died while as Prisoners of war. The funeral service was taking place in a graveyard located in Bellwood, one Aquas stayed at even as the various humans and aliens left and soon it left him alone there, standing at the grave belonging to his most trusted friend. The headstone read several things, but the main portion Aquas' eyes scanned over each time.

 _"_ _Here rests Menct, friend to many, enemy to few, and savior to the universe. While but a stranger to our world, Menct treated Earth like it was his own, and fought for it time and time again. Even in death, his legacy goes on...everyone misses you Menct, and we all hope you are in a better place."_ Below the words, was his Plumber badge…the only thing they were able to recover, on an uninhabited planet near the site of the Black Hole's destruction from the universe destroying blast Glukos used as a last ditch effort to win. The Orishan knelt down, and rested something right next to the badge; something preserved from Menct's old room.

His helmet; the one bearing the Omnitrix emblem on it.

"Menct…thank you for everything." He didn't even bother to stop the tear flow; he was hurt far too much to be strong now, especially since he was looking at the grave of his best friend. "…you were the thing that sent me forward in my campaign to one day be a hero; if it weren't for you, I'd be nowhere…I'm not strong like you, and I damn sure don't deserve to be captain…you do." He wiped away some of the tears flowing from his eyes. "You deserve to be a Magister, and you deserve to be the one our enemies fear…but…that's not happening. Every time someone calls me captain, I'm reminded that I didn't earn this right, I was only given it because we lost _you_. I'm not fit to be what I am…but you wanted me to keep going. Menct, wherever you are…I want to know that you're proud of me; proud of me for doing my best to live up to the example you provided us. I don't deserve this rank, but I'm gonna damn sure earn it with my efforts, for you; like with Yenth, you weren't my brother by blood...but you damn sure felt like one." He pat the helm a few times, standing and slowly turning away, beginning to walk away from the gravestone and towards the city, to continue his work. However, had Aquas turned around, he'd have seen the helmet light up a dim, blue color…before finally going still.

It was clear that wherever Menct was, he really was proud of him, of all of them.

 **The End**

* * *

(It's been a wild ride, but now this story has come to a close for good; the Completed Mark being a trick while I worked on the Epilogue; the final chapter in this story that has framed Menct's life. Thank you all for the support on my first and what could possibly be my best Ben Ten fanfiction written. I know there are better ones out there, but I gave it my all and did my best in the endeavor. Will there be a sequel to this story, in time, perhaps. Leave a like, a follow, and a review if you liked this story, and someday when I can I'll work on the next one to continue things, even with Menct no longer in the picture due to his demise. Stay safe out there, and always give others a second chance in life.)


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